MicroRNA‑195 inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by targeting ROCK1

Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of microRNAs in Patients with Laryngeal Cancer: A Systematic Review

Laryngeal squamous cell cancer (LSCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors of the head and neck region, with a poor survival rate (5-year overall survival 50-80%) as a consequence of an advanced-stage diagnosis and high recurrence rate. Tobacco smoking and alcohol abuse are the main risk factors of LSCC development. An early diagnosis of LSCC, a prompt detection of recurrence and a more precise monitoring of the efficacy of different treatment modalities are currently needed to reduce the mortality. Therefore, the identification of effective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for LSCC is crucial to guide disease management and improve clinical outcomes. In the past years, a dysregulated expression of small non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), has been reported in many human cancers, including LSCC, and many miRNAs have been explored for their diagnostic and prognostic potential and proposed as biomarkers. We searched electronic databases for original papers that were focused on miRNAs and LSCC, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol. According to the outcome, 566 articles were initially screened, of which 177 studies were selected and included in the analysis. In this systematic review, we provide an overview of the current literature on the function and the potential diagnostic and prognostic role of tissue and circulating miRNAs in LSCC.

Implication of non-coding RNA-mediated ROCK1 regulation in various diseases

Rho Associated Coiled-Coil Containing Protein Kinase 1 (ROCK1) is a protein serine/threonine kinase which is activated upon binding with the GTP-bound form of Rho. This protein can modulate actin-myosin contraction and stability. Moreover, it has a crucial role in the regulation of cell polarity. Therefore, it participates in modulation of cell morphology, regulation of expression of genes, cell proliferation and differentiation, apoptotic processes as well as oncogenic processes. Recent studies have highlighted interactions between ROCK1 and several non-coding RNAs, namely microRNAs, circular RNAs and long non-coding RNAs. Such interactions can be a target of medications. In fact, it seems that the interactions are implicated in therapeutic response to several medications. In the current review, we aimed to explain the impact of these interactions in the pathoetiology of cancers as well as non-malignant disorders.

miRNA-448 Regulates the Development of Glioblastoma (GBM) by Regulating Rho-Associated Protein Kinase 1

Background

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive adult brain tumor that poses a huge threat to people's health. Previous studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators in the progression of GBM. However, the role of miR-448 in GBM remains largely unknown. Therefore, the regulatory mechanism of miR-448 in the development of GBM is elucidated in this study.

Methods

The protein and mRNA expressions of miR-448 and ROCK1 were measured by Western blot analysis and RT-qPCR. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were detected by CCK-8 assay and Transwell assay. The relationship between miR-448 and ROCK1 was probed by luciferase reporter assay.

Results

miR-448 expression was downregulated in GBM tissues and cells. And poor clinical outcomes of GBM patients were related to miR-448 downregulation. Functionally, overexpression of miR-448 restrained cell viability, migration, and invasion in GBM. Additionally, miR-448 reduced ROCK1 expression by binding to its 3'-UTR. Moreover, knockdown of ROCK1 inhibited the progression of GBM. Furthermore, overexpression of ROCK1 abolished the antitumor effect of miR-448 in GBM.

Conclusion

miR-448 restrained cell viability, invasion, and migration in GBM by inhibiting ROCK1 expression.

Lack of Conserved miRNA Deregulation in HPV-Induced Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) in the anogenital and head and neck regions are associated with high-risk types of human papillomaviruses (HR-HPV). Deregulation of miRNA expression is an important contributor to carcinogenesis. This study aimed to pinpoint commonly and uniquely deregulated miRNAs in cervical, anal, vulvar, and tonsillar tumors of viral or non-viral etiology, searching for a common set of deregulated miRNAs linked to HPV-induced carcinogenesis. RNA was extracted from tumors and nonmalignant tissues from the same locations. The miRNA expression level was determined by next-generation sequencing. Differential expression of miRNAs was calculated, and the patterns of miRNA deregulation were compared between tumors. The total of deregulated miRNAs varied between tumors of different locations by two orders of magnitude, ranging from 1 to 282. The deregulated miRNA pool was largely tumor-specific. In tumors of the same location, a low proportion of miRNAs were exclusively deregulated and no deregulated miRNA was shared by all four types of HPV-positive tumors. The most significant overlap of deregulated miRNAs was found between tumors which differed in location and HPV status (HPV-positive cervical tumors vs. HPV-negative vulvar tumors). Our results imply that HPV infection does not elicit a conserved miRNA deregulation in SCCs.

Circular RNA ABCB10 contributes to laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) progression by modulating the miR-588/CXCR4 axis

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a common head and neck cancer with a high metastasis and poor prognosis. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a type of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) with regulatory function and broadly participate in cancer development. However, the correlation of circular RNA ABCB10 (circABCB10) with LSCC remains unclear. Here, we were interested in the role of circABCB10 in the modulation of LSCC progression. Our data demonstrated that the depletion of circABCB10 significantly inhibited the proliferation and induced the apoptosis of LSCC cells. Meanwhile, circABCB10 knockdown was able to remarkably reduce the invasion and migration of LSCC cells. Mechanically, circABCB10 served as a sponge for microRNAs-588 (miR-588) and miR-588 could target and down-regulated chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) expression in LSCC cells. The overexpression of CXCR4 or miR-588 inhibitor could reverse circABCB10 depletion-attenuated malignant phenotypes of LSCC cells. Functionally, the depletion of circABCB10 alleviated the tumor growth of LSCC cells in the tumorigenicity analysis of nude mice. The CXCR4 expression was decreased while the miR-588 expression was enhanced by circABCB10 depletion in vivo. Thus, we concluded that circABCB10 was involved in the malignant progression of LSCC by regulating miR-588/CXCR4 axis. Our finding provides new insights into the mechanism of circRHOT1 contributing to the development of LSCC. CircABCB10 and miR-588 may be used as potential targets for the treatment of LSCC.

The miR-136-5p/ROCK1 axis suppresses invasion and migration, and enhances cisplatin sensitivity in head and neck cancer cells

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPSCC) are two types of head and neck cancers with high incidence rates and relatively poor prognoses. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of microRNA (miR/miRNA)-136-5p and its downstream target, Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1), on LSCC and HPSCC progression and cisplatin sensitivity. The miRNA and protein expression levels in head and neck cancer cell lines were evaluated using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting, respectively. MTT, wound healing assays, transwell assays and flow cytometry analysis were performed to measure cell properties. The binding between miR-136-5p and ROCK1 was detected using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Autophagy double-labeled adenoviral infection assays were used to assess cell autophagy. The results showed that miR-136-5p was expressed in LSCC and HPSCC cells. Functional experiments showed that the expression of miR-136-5p in LSCC and HPSCC cells was negatively correlated with cell viability, invasion and migration. Additionally, miR-136-5p overexpression inhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition, whereas miR-136-5p knockdown had the opposite effect. Dual-luciferase reporter assays confirmed the targeting relationship between miR-136-5p and ROCK1. miR-136-5p overexpression increased the cisplatin sensitivity of LSCC and HPSCC cells by reducing cell viability, as well as promoting cell apoptosis and autophagy. miR-136-5p overexpression decreased the expression levels of its downstream target ROCK1 and attenuated activity of the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in cisplatin-treated LSCC and HPSCC cells. Conversely, miR-136-5p knockdown increased ROCK1 levels and decreased cisplatin sensitivity of the LSCC and HPSCC cells by increasing cell viability and inhibiting cell apoptosis, which was reversed by ROCK1 inhibition using the ROCK1 inhibitor, Y27632. Taken together, the results showed that the miR-136-5p/ROCK1 axis inhibits cell invasion and migration, and increases the sensitivity of LSCC and HPSCC cells to cisplatin.

Long noncoding RNA LINC00941 promotes pancreatic cancer progression by competitively binding miR-335-5p to regulate ROCK1-mediated LIMK1/Cofilin-1 signaling

An accumulation of evidence indicates that long noncoding RNAs are involved in the tumorigenesis and progression of pancreatic cancer (PC). In this study, we investigated the functions and molecular mechanism of action of LINC00941 in PC. Quantitative PCR was used to examine the expression of LINC00941 and miR-335-5p in PC tissues and cell lines, and to investigate the correlation between LINC00941 expression and clinicopathological features. Plasmid vectors or lentiviruses were used to manipulate the expression of LINC00941, miR-335-5p, and ROCK1 in PC cell lines. Gain or loss-of-function assays and mechanistic assays were employed to verify the roles of LINC00941, miR-335-5p, and ROCK1 in PC cell growth and metastasis, both in vivo and in vitro. LINC00941 and ROCK1 were found to be highly expressed in PC, while miR-335-5p exhibited low expression. High LINC00941 expression was strongly associated with larger tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and poor prognosis. Functional experiments revealed that LINC00941 silencing significantly suppressed PC cell growth, metastasis and epithelial–mesenchymal transition. LINC00941 functioned as a molecular sponge for miR-335-5p, and a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for ROCK1, promoting ROCK1 upregulation, and LIMK1/Cofilin-1 pathway activation. Our observations lead us to conclude that LINC00941 functions as an oncogene in PC progression, behaving as a ceRNA for miR-335-5p binding. LINC00941 may therefore have potential utility as a diagnostic and treatment target in this disease.

microRNAs deregulation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck (HN) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the eighth most common human cancer worldwide. Besides tobacco and alcohol consumption, genetic and epigenetic alterations play an important role in HNSCC occurrence and progression. microRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate cell cycle, proliferation, development, differentiation, and apoptosis by interfering in gene expression. Expression profiling of miRNAs showed that some miRNAs are upregulated or downregulated in tumor cells when compared with the normal cells. The present review focuses on the role of miRNAs deregulations in HNSCC, enrolled in risk, development, outcome, and therapy sensitivity. Moreover, the influence of single nucleotide variants in miRNAs target sites, miRNAs seed sites, and miRNAs-processing genes in HNSCC was also revised. Due to its potential for cancer diagnosis, progression, and as a therapeutic target, miRNAs may bring new perspectives in HNSCC understanding and therapy, especially for those patients with no or insufficient treatment options.

Anti-cancer effect of miR-139-3p on laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by targeting rab5a: In vitro and in vivo studies

BACKGROUND

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Nowadays, as traditional treatment methods are gradually limited, the development of new treatment methods needs to be resolved. This study aimed to investigate the role of microRNA(miR)-139-3p in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, and further explored the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

In this study, we first used quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to detect the level of miR-139-3p in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma tissue. Then, TargetScan and dual luciferase reporter assay were used to explore and verify whether rab5a was a direct target of miR-139-3p. Thereafter, the expression of miR-139-3p and rab5a in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cell line SNU46 was changed by transfection with miR-139-3p mimic or rab5a-plasmid. Then, SNU46 cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, cell cycle, cell migration and cell invasion were determined using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), flow cytometry, scratch assay and Transwell assay, respectively. Finally, mouse tumor formation experiments were used to test whether miR-139-3p still exerted its role in inhibiting laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma in vivo.

RESULTS

Compared with the adjacent normal tissues, miR-139-3p significantly down-regulated in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma tissue. It was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter experiment that rab5a was a direct target of miR-139-3p. Moreover, the up-regulation of miR-139-3p could effectively inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cells, and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In the molecular level study, we found that up-regulation of miR-139-3p inhibited the expression of rab5a in SNU46 cells. In addition, the protein and mRNA expression of factors related to cell migration, invasion, proliferation and apoptosis, such as integrin β1, Focal adhesion kinase (FAK), paxillin, B cell lymphoma-2 (bcl-2), nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), in SNU46 cells were changed after miR-139-3p up-regulation. Consistent with the results of in vitro studies, in vivo experiments showed that miR-139-3p mimic inhibited laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma tumor growth. All the effects of miR-139-3p on laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma were reversed by rab5a over-expression.

CONCLUSION

miR-139-3p could inhibit laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by targeting rab5a both in vitro and in vivo.

Silencing of long non-coding RNA LINC00520 promotes radiosensitivity of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells

Aberrant expression of LINC00520 has been identified in head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC). However, its function in the radiosensitivity of HNSCC remain unclear. Herein, we aimed to define the role LINC00520 in the radiosensitivity of HNSCC and identify the underlying mechanism. Tumour tissues and adjacent normal tissue were collected from HNSCC patients. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in HNSCC tumour were obtained from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database. Interactions between LINC00520 and miR-195, homeobox A10 (HOXA10) and miR-195 were evaluated by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, RNA Immunoprecipitation (RIP), and RNA pull-down assay. The effects of LINC00520/miR-195/HOXA10 on radiosensitivity of HNSCC were analysed in the evaluation of radiotherapy outcome. Cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis of HNSCC cells were accessed via gain- and loss-of-function approaches. Tumour xenograft in nude mice was conducted in order to confirm the results in vivo. LINC00520 was upregulated while miR-195 was downregulated in HNSCC cells and tissues. Silencing LINC00520 or overexpressing miR-195 promoted radiosensitivity and inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis in HNSCC. Moreover, these in vitro findings were reproduced in vivo in human HNSCC xenograft in nude mice. LINC00520/miR-195/HOXA10 is involved in the radiosensitivity mediation, providing potential therapeutic target for HNSCC treatment.

miR-140-5p targeted FGF9 and inhibited the cell growth of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Increasing evidence has suggested that microRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in the initiation and development of cancers. Here, we found that miR-140-5p was significantly downregulated in both laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) tissues and cell lines. Decreased expression of miR-140-5p was significantly associated with the metastasis of LSCC. Overexpression of miR-140-5p inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis of LSCC cells. Mechanistically, the fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) was identified as the target of miR-140-5p. miR-140-5p bound the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of FGF9 and suppressed the expression of FGF9 in LSCC cells. Additionally, the level of FGF9 was upregulated in LSCC tissues and negatively correlated with the expression of miR-140-5p. Restoration of FGF9 attenuated the suppressive role of miR-140-5p in regulating the growth of LSCC cells. Collectively, these results indicated that the tumor suppressive function of miR-140-5p in LSCC was partially exercised by modulating the expression of FGF9.

MicroRNA-802 Inhibits Cell Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis in Human Laryngeal Cancer by Targeting cAMP-Regulated Phosphoprotein 19

BACKGROUND/AIMS

miR-802 plays a key role in cancer progression and development. The purpose of this work is to investigate the functional role of miR-802 in laryngeal cancer and to elucidate the function of miR-802 and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein 19 (ARPP19) on laryngeal cancer.

METHODS

RT-qPCR was applied to study the expression level of ARPP19 and miR-802 in the laryngeal carcinoma cell lines and tissues. CCK-8, colony formation, flow cytometry (FACS) assay were used to study the effect of ARPP19 and miR-802 on apoptosis, proliferation, and cell cycle of laryngeal carcinoma cells. Target gene prediction and luciferase reporter gene assay were applied to identify target gene of miR-802. The transcriptional mRNA and protein expression levels of ARPP19 were measured by RT-qPCR or Western blotting.

RESULTS

miR-802 was down-regulated in laryngeal carcinoma cell lines and tissues. Laryngeal cancer cells transfected by miR-802 mimic were significantly inhibited in the terms of cell colony formation and proliferation. Furthermore, miR-802 can inhibit the expression level of ARPP19 by directly targeting the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) of ARPP19. Overexpression of the ARPP19 gene can reverse the suppressive effect of miR-802 on laryngeal cancer cells.

CONCLUSION

miR-802 can exert tumor suppressor effects in laryngeal carcinoma by targeting ARPP19, indicating that miR-802 protein may play a role of potential therapeutic target for clinical laryngeal cancer.

Targeting ROCK signaling in health, malignant and non-malignant diseases

A Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase (ROCK) is identified as a critical downstream effector of GTPase RhoA which contains two isoforms, ROCK1 (also known as p160ROCK and ROKβ) and ROCK2 (also known as Rho-kinase and ROKα), the gene of which is placed on chromosomes 18 (18q11.1) and 2 (2p24), respectively. ROCKs have a principal function in the generation of actin-myosin contractility and regulation of actin cytoskeleton dynamics. They represent a chief role in regulating various cellular functions, such as apoptosis, growth, migration, and metabolism through modulation of cytoskeletal actin synthesis, and cellular contraction through phosphorylation of numerous downstream targets. Emerging evidence has indicated that ROCKs present a significant function in cardiac physiology. Of note, dysregulation of ROCKs involves in several cardiac pathological processes like cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac fibrosis, systemic blood pressure disorder, and pulmonary hypertension. Moreover, ROCKs, in addition to their role in regulating renal arteriolar contraction, glomerular blood flow, and filtration, can also play a role in controlling podocytes, tubular cells, and mesangial cell structure and function. Hyperactivity disorder and over-gene expression of Rho/ROCK have been indicated in different cancers. Furthermore, it seems that increasing the expression of mRNA or ROCK protein has an undesirable effect on patient survival and has a positive impact on the progression and worsening of disease prognosis. This review focuses on the physiological and pathological functions of ROCKs with a particular view on its possible value of ROCK inhibitors as a new therapy in cancers and non-cancer diseases.

Circular RNA MYLK serves as an oncogene to promote cancer progression via microRNA-195/cyclin D1 axis in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a common aggressive head and neck cancer. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are implicated in numerous physiological and pathological processes, including tumorigenesis. The present study aimed to investigate the expression profile and biological role of circMYLK in LSCC. We found that circMYLK was highly expressed in LSCC tissues and cell lines. circMYLK overexpression promoted LSCC cell proliferation and G₁/S cell cycle transition; whereas circMYLK knockdown had the contrary effects. Mechanistically, circMYLK can serve as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-195 to increase cyclin D1 expression in LSCC, and rescue experiments further showed that restoration of miR-195 could block the oncogenic role of circMYLK in LSCC. In conclusion, our findings indicate that the circMYLK/miR-195/cyclin D1 regulatory axis could affect the proliferation and cell cycle progression of LSCC cells, and may provide a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of LSCC.

ceRNA network construction and comparison of gastric cancer with or without Helicobacter pylori infection

Gastric cancer (GC) is a lethal disease, and among its variety of etiological factors, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is the strongest risk factor. However, the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying H. pylori-related GC need further elucidation. We investigated the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network differences between H. pylori (+) and H. pylori (-) GC. The long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression data from 32 adjacent noncancerous samples and 18 H. pylori (+) and 141 H. pylori (-) stomach adenocarcinoma samples were downloaded from the TCGA database. After construction of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA networks of H. pylori (+) and H. pylori (-) GC, Panther and Kobas databases were used to analyze the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Finally, survival analysis was used to discover the key genes. In H. pylori (+) GC, we identified a total of 1,419 lncRNAs, 82 miRNAs, and 2,501 mRNAs with differentially expressed profiles. In H. pylori (-) GC, 2,225 lncRNAs, 130 miRNAs, and 3,146 mRNAs were differentially expressed. Furthermore, three unique pathways (cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, HIF-1 signaling pathway, and Wnt signaling pathway) were enriched in H. pylori (+) GC. According to the overall survival analysis, three lncRNAs (AP002478.1, LINC00111, and LINC00313) and two mRNAs (MYB and COL1A1) functioned as prognostic biomarkers for patients with H. pylori (+) GC. In conclusion, our study has identified the differences in ceRNA regulatory networks between H. pylori (+) and H. pylori (-) GC and provides a rich candidate reservoir for future studies.

MicroRNA‑195 triggers neuroinflammation in Parkinson's disease in a Rho‑associated kinase 1‑dependent manner

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common progressive neurodegenerative disorder occurring in older individuals. Mechanistically, neuroinflammation is a central pathological change in the progression of PD. Activation of microglia is widely considered to be a major trigger for neuroinflammation. Certain microRNAs (miRs) are key factors in inhibiting or stimulating inflammation during the occurrence and development of PD, among which miR‑195 may be a potential crucial biomarker. However, the underlying pathological mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate the pathogenesis of PD, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to establish an in vitro model of microglia activation in the present study. It was revealed that miR‑195 expression was decreased in LPS‑stimulated BV2 cells, suggesting a potential mechanism of action of miR‑195 on microglia activation. Furthermore, gain‑ and loss‑of‑function experiments were performed by successful transfection of microglia with miR‑195 mimics or inhibitors. The results demonstrated that miR‑195 overexpression inhibited the release of pro‑inflammatory cytokines, including inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin‑6 (IL‑6) and tumor necrosis factor‑α, but induced the release of anti‑inflammatory cytokines in LPS‑treated BV2 cells, including IL‑4 and IL‑10. In addition, Rho‑associated kinase 1 (ROCK1), which is negatively regulated by miR‑195, was increased in LPS‑stimulated BV2 cells. ROCK1 knockdown with small interfering RNA exhibited the same effect as miR‑195 overexpression on regulating microglia status, suggesting that the miR‑195/ROCK1 interaction serves a central role in inducing microglia activation. Furthermore, inhibition of ROCK1 impaired cell viability and proliferation but induced cell apoptosis in LPS‑treated miR‑195‑deficient BV2 cells. The present results suggest that miR‑195 is a potential therapeutic target for PD.

miR‑195‑5p regulates multi‑drug resistance of gastric cancer cells via targeting ZNF139

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant tumors with a high mortality rate. Reversing the multi-drug resistance (MDR) of GC offers the potential for significant enhancement of the effect of chemotherapy and improvement of prognosis. Aberrant microRNA expression can attribute to the pathogenesis of GC. However, the effects of microRNA (miR)-195-5p on the MDR of GC cells remains to be fully elucidated. In the present study, the effect of miR-195-5p in regulating the MDR of GC cells was investigated. Reverse transcription quantitative-polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze the levels of miR-195-5p in GC cells. Western blot analysis was performed to analyze the protein levels of ZNF139, P-gp, BCL-2 and MRP1. The chemosensitivity of GC cells was determined by MTT. The results showed that the expression of miR-195-5p was decreased in poorly differentiated GC tissues with a higher chemosensitivity. The overexpression of miR-195-5p promoted the chemosensitivity of GC cells. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that Zing finger 139 (ZNF139) was a target of miR-195-5p. miR-195-5p negatively regulated the expression of ZNF139 by binding to its 3′-untranslated region. The silencing of ZNF139 promoted the chemosensitivity of GC cells, and the downregulation of ZNF139 reversed the effect of miR-195-5p inhibitor on the chemosensitivity of GC cells. In conclusion, miR-195-5p regulated the MDR of GC cells via targeting ZNF139.

Long noncoding RNA DANCR, working as a competitive endogenous RNA, promotes ROCK1-mediated proliferation and metastasis via decoying of miR-335-5p and miR-1972 in osteosarcoma

Background

Accumulating evidences indicate that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) acting as crucial regulators in osteosarcoma (OS). Previously, we reported that Rho associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1), a metastatic-related gene was negatively regulated by microRNA-335-5p (miR-335-5p) and work as an oncogene in osteosarcoma. Whether any long non-coding RNAs participate in the upstream of miR-335-5p/ROCK1 axial remains unclear.

Methods

Expression of differentiation antagonizing non-protein coding RNA (DANCR) and miR-335-5p/miR-1972 in osteosarcoma tissues were determined by a qRT-PCR assay and an ISH assay. Osteosarcoma cells’ proliferation and migration/invasion ability changes were measured by a CCK-8/EDU assay and a transwell assay respectively. ROCK1 expression changes were checked by a qRT-PCR assay and a western blot assay. Targeted binding effects between miR-335-5p/miR-1972 and ROCK1 or DANCR were verified by a dual luciferase reporter assay and a RIP assay. In vivo experiments including a nude formation assay as well as a CT scan were applied to detect tumor growth and metastasis changes in animal level.

Results

In the present study, an elevated DNACR was found in osteosarcoma tissue specimens and in osteosarcoma cell lines, and the elevated DNACR was closely correlated with poor prognosis in clinical patients. Functional experiments illustrated that a depression of DANCR suppressed ROCK1-mediated proliferation and metastasis in osteosarcoma cells. The results of western blot assays and qRT-PCR assays revealed that DANCR regulated ROCK1 via crosstalk with miR-335-5p and miR-1972. Further cellular behavioral experiments demonstrated that DNACR promoted ROCK1-meidated proliferation and metastasis through decoying both miR-335-5p and miR-1972. Finally, the outcomes of in vivo animal models showed that DANCR promoted tumor growth and lung metastasis of osteosarcoma.

Conclusions

LncRNA DANCR work as an oncogene and promoted ROCK1-mediated proliferation and metastasis through acting as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) in osteosarcoma.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12943-018-0837-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

miR-632 Promotes Laryngeal Carcinoma Cell Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion Through Negative Regulation of GSK3β

Laryngeal cancer, one of the most common head and neck malignancies, is an aggressive neoplasm. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) exert important roles in oncogenesis and progression of diverse types of human cancers. miR-632, a tumor-related miRNA, has been reported to be dysregulated and implicated in human malignancies; however, its biological role in laryngeal carcinoma remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed at exploring the role of miR-632 in laryngeal cancer and clarifying the potential molecular mechanisms involved. In the current study, miR-632 was found to be significantly upregulated both in laryngeal cancer tissues and laryngeal cancer cell lines. Functional studies demonstrated that miR-632 accelerated cell proliferation and colony formation, facilitated cell migration and invasion, and enhanced the expression of cell proliferation-associated proteins, cyclin D1 and c-myc. Notably, miR-632 could directly bind to the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) to suppress its expression in laryngeal cancer cells. Mechanical studies revealed that miR-632 promoted laryngeal cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through negative modulation of GSK3β. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed that miR-632 expression was inversely correlated with GSK3β mRNA expression in laryngeal cancer tissues. Taken together, our findings suggest that miR-632 functions as an oncogene in laryngeal cancer and may be used as a novel therapeutic target for laryngeal cancer.