miR‑96 exerts an oncogenic role in the progression of cervical cancer by targeting CAV‑1

Emerging Roles and Potential Applications of Non-Coding RNAs in Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer (CC) is a preventable disease using proven interventions, specifically prophylactic vaccination, pervasive disease screening, and treatment, but it is still the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. Patients with advanced or metastatic CC have a very dismal prognosis and current therapeutic options are very limited. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of metastasis and discovering new therapeutic targets are crucial. New sequencing tools have given a full visualization of the human transcriptome's composition. Non-coding RNAs (NcRNAs) perform various functions in transcriptional, translational, and post-translational processes through their interactions with proteins, RNA, and even DNA. It has been suggested that ncRNAs act as key regulators of a variety of biological processes, with their expression being tightly controlled under physiological settings. In recent years, and notably in the past decade, significant effort has been made to examine the role of ncRNAs in a variety of human diseases, including cancer. Therefore, shedding light on the functions of ncRNA will aid in our better understanding of CC. In this review, we summarize the emerging roles of ncRNAs in progression, metastasis, therapeutics, chemo-resistance, human papillomavirus (HPV) regulation, metabolic reprogramming, diagnosis, and as a prognostic biomarker of CC. We also discussed the role of ncRNA in the tumor microenvironment and tumor immunology, including cancer stem cells (CSCs) in CC. We also address contemporary technologies such as antisense oligonucleotides, CRISPR-Cas9, and exosomes, as well as their potential applications in targeting ncRNAs to manage CC.

Circ_0005576 Exerts an Oncogenic Role in Cervical Cancer via miR-1305-Dependent Regulation of PAIP1

Cervical cancer (CC) is a leading cause of high morbidity and mortality in women worldwide. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are considered to be essential regulators of various cancers, including CC. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role and mechanism of circ_0005576 in CC progression. The levels of circ_0005576, miR-1305, and poly(A)-binding protein-interacting protein 1 (PAIP1) were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) or western blot assay. The stability and location of circ_0005576 were determined by ribonuclease R (RNase R) assay and subcellular fractionation distribution assay, respectively. Cell proliferation was evaluated by CCK-8 assay, EDU incorporation assay, and colony formation assay. Cell migration and invasion were assessed by transwell assay. The interactions between miR-1305 and circ_0005576 or PAIP1 were validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The protein expression of cyclin D1, vimentin, and matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9) was tested by western blot. Moreover, mice xenograft models were constructed to analyze tumor growth in vivo. Circ_0005576 and PAIP1 were upregulated, while miR-1305 was downregulated in CC tissues and cells. Circ_0005576 was a stable circRNA that was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm of cells. Knockdown of circ_0005576 suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CC cells, while the silence of miR-1305 facilitated the development of CC cells. Meanwhile, circ_0005576 could sponge miR-1305 to promote PAIP1 expression. Furthermore, PAIP1 overexpression relieved the influence of circ_0005576 silence on the growth of CC cells. Additionally, circ_0005576 silence hindered CC tumor growth in vivo. Circ_0005576 depletion suppressed tumor development in CC by regulating the miR-1305/PAIP1 axis, suggesting that circ_0005576 might be a potential biomarker for CC treatment.

Caveolin-1 Regulates Cellular Metabolism: A Potential Therapeutic Target in Kidney Disease

The kidney is an energy-consuming organ, and cellular metabolism plays an indispensable role in kidney-related diseases. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), a multifunctional membrane protein, is the main component of caveolae on the plasma membrane. Caveolae are represented by tiny invaginations that are abundant on the plasma membrane and that serve as a platform to regulate cellular endocytosis, stress responses, and signal transduction. However, caveolae have received increasing attention as a metabolic platform that mediates the endocytosis of albumin, cholesterol, and glucose, participates in cellular metabolic reprogramming and is involved in the progression of kidney disease. It is worth noting that caveolae mainly depend on Cav-1 to perform the abovementioned cellular functions. Furthermore, the mechanism by which Cav-1 regulates cellular metabolism and participates in the pathophysiology of kidney diseases has not been completely elucidated. In this review, we introduce the structure and function of Cav-1 and its functions in regulating cellular metabolism, autophagy, and oxidative stress, focusing on the relationship between Cav-1 in cellular metabolism and kidney disease; in addition, Cav-1 that serves as a potential therapeutic target for treatment of kidney disease is also described.

Effect of arsenic trioxide on cervical cancer and its mechanisms

Cervical cancer is one of the most common types of gynecological tumor, and thus identifying complementary or substitute treatment methods to treat cervical cancer is important. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of arsenic trioxide (ATO), a traditional Chinese medicine, on cervical cancer cells and its underlying mechanism. MTT, colony formation and Transwell assays were performed to investigate the effects of different concentrations of ATO on cell proliferation and invasion, respectively. Western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR were applied to measure hypoxia-inducible factor-1α expression (HIF-1α) expression following ATO treatment. Finally, the effects of HIF-1α knockdown on cervical cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion were evaluated. The results demonstrated that ATO could inhibit cell proliferation and invasion. Moreover, ATO could induce reactive oxygen species production in a time- and dose-dependent manner. ATO could also promote the apoptosis of cervical cancer cells via HIF-1α. Therefore, the present study may provide a theoretical basis for identifying effective molecular targets for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer.