The diagnostic and prognostic value of plasma microRNA-125b-5p in patients with multiple myeloma

Identification of exosomal microRNAs and related hub genes associated with imatinib resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia

Chemotherapy resistance is a major obstacle in cancer therapy, and identifying novel druggable targets to reverse this phenomenon is essential. The exosome-mediated transmittance of drug resistance has been shown in various cancer models including ovarian and prostate cancer models. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of exosomal miRNA transfer in chronic myeloid leukemia drug resistance. For this purpose, firstly exosomes were isolated from imatinib sensitive (K562S) and resistant (K562R) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells and named as Sexo and Rexo, respectively. Then, miRNA microarray was used to compare miRNA profiles of K562S, K562R, Sexo, Rexo, and Rexo-treated K562S cells. According to our results, miR-125b-5p and miR-99a-5p exhibited increased expression in resistant cells, their exosomes, and Rexo-treated sensitive cells compared to their sensitive counterparts. On the other hand, miR-210-3p and miR-193b-3p were determined to be the two miRNAs which exhibited decreased expression profile in resistant cells and their exosomes compared to their sensitive counterparts. Gene targets, signaling pathways, and enrichment analysis were performed for these miRNAs by TargetScan, KEGG, and DAVID. Potential interactions between gene candidates at the protein level were analyzed via STRING and Cytoscape software. Our findings revealed CCR5, GRK2, EDN1, ARRB1, P2RY2, LAMC2, PAK3, PAK4, and GIT2 as novel gene targets that may play roles in exosomal imatinib resistance transfer as well as mTOR, STAT3, MCL1, LAMC1, and KRAS which are already linked to imatinib resistance. MDR1 mRNA exhibited higher expression in Rexo compared to Sexo as well as in K562S cells treated with Rexo compared to K562S cells which may suggest exosomal transfer of MDR1 mRNA.

A nomogram for predicting prognosis of multiple myeloma patients based on a ubiquitin-proteasome gene signature

BACKGROUND

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant hematopoietic disease that is usually incurable. However, the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) genes have not yet been established as a prognostic predictor for MM, despite their potential applications in other cancers.

METHODS

RNA sequencing data and corresponding clinical information were acquired from Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)-COMMPASS and served as a training set (n=787). Validation of the prediction signature were conducted by the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases (n=1040). To develop a prognostic signature for overall survival (OS), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regressions, along with Cox regressions, were used.

RESULTS

A six-gene signature, including KCTD12, SIAH1, TRIM58, TRIM47, UBE2S, and UBE2T, was established. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of the training and validation cohorts revealed that patients with high-risk conditions had a significantly worse prognosis than those with low-risk conditions. Furthermore, UPS-related signature is associated with a positive immune response. For predicting survival, a simple to use nomogram and the corresponding web-based calculator (https://jiangyanxiamm.shinyapps.io/MMprognosis/) were built based on the UPS signature and its clinical features. Analyses of calibration plots and decision curves showed clinical utility for both training and validation datasets.

CONCLUSIONS

As a result of these results, we established a genetic signature for MM based on UPS. This genetic signature could contribute to improving individualized survival prediction, thereby facilitating clinical decisions in patients with MM.

MicroRNA-490-3p and -490-5p in carcinogenesis: Separate or the same goal?

MicroRNA (miR)-490-3p and miR-490-5p, located on chromosome 7q33, are two independent mature products of miR-490 exerting distinct effects on tumor progression. miR-490-3p and miR-490-5p possess antitumor properties. miR-490-3p dysfunction has been associated with malignancies including colorectal cancer, while the abnormal function of miR-490-5p has been more considerably associated with bladder cancer (for example). At present, there are 30 and 11 target genes of miR-490-3p and miR-490-5p, respectively, that have been experimentally verified, of which the cyclin D1 (CCND1) gene is a common target. Through these target genes, miR-490-3p and miR-490-5p are involved in 7 and 3 signaling pathways, respectively, of which only 2 are shared regulatory signaling pathways. The present review introduces two competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory networks centered on miR-490-3p and miR-490-5p. These networks may be important promoters of tumor cell proliferation, invasiveness, metastatic potential and apoptosis. Unlike miR-490-5p, miR-490-3p plays a unique role in promoting cancer. However, both are promising molecular markers for early cancer diagnosis and prognosis. In addition, miR-490-3p was also found to be associated with the chemical resistance of cisplatin and paclitaxel. The present review focuses on the abnormal expression of miR-490-3p and miR-490-5p in different tumor types, and their complex ceRNA regulatory networks. The clinical value of miR-490-3p and miR-490-5p in cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment is also clarified, and an explanation for the opposing effects of miR-490-3p in tumor research is provided.

Next-Generation Biomarkers in Multiple Myeloma: Understanding the Molecular Basis for Potential Use in Diagnosis and Prognosis

Multiple myeloma (MM) is considered to be the second most common blood malignancy and it is characterized by abnormal proliferation and an accumulation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. Although the currently utilized markers in the diagnosis and assessment of MM are showing promising results, the incidence and mortality rate of the disease are still high. Therefore, exploring and developing better diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers have drawn global interest. In the present review, we highlight some of the recently reported and investigated novel biomarkers that have great potentials as diagnostic and/or prognostic tools in MM. These biomarkers include angiogenic markers, miRNAs as well as proteomic and immunological biomarkers. Moreover, we present some of the advanced methodologies that could be utilized in the early and competent diagnosis of MM. The present review also focuses on understanding the molecular concepts and pathways involved in these biomarkers in order to validate and efficiently utilize them. The present review may also help in identifying areas of improvement for better diagnosis and superior outcomes of MM.

Circulating miRNAs as Auxiliary Diagnostic Biomarkers for Multiple Myeloma: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Recommendations

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by aberrant expansion of monoclonal plasma cells with high mortality and severe complications due to the lack of early diagnosis and timely treatment. Circulating miRNAs have shown potential in the diagnosis of MM with inconsistent results, which remains to be fully assessed. Here we updated a meta-analysis with relative studies and essays published in English before Jan 31, 2021. After steps of screening, 32 studies from 11 articles that included a total of 627 MM patients and 314 healthy controls were collected. All data were analyzed by REVMAN 5.3 and Stata MP 16, and the quality of included literatures was estimated by Diagnostic Accuracy Study 2 (QUADAS-2). The pooled area under the curve (AUC) shown in summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) analyses of circulating miRNAs was 0.87 (95%CI, 0.81–0.89), and the sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were 0.79, 0.86, 5, 0.27, 22, respectively. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis exhibited that “miRNA cluster”, patient “detailed stage or Ig isotype” accounted for a considerable proportion of heterogeneity, revealing the importance of study design and patient inclusion in diagnostic trials; thus standardized recommendations were proposed for further studies. In addition, the performance of the circulating miRNAs included in MM prognosis and treatment response prediction was summarized, indicating that they could serve as valuable biomarkers, which would expand their clinical application greatly.

Cyanidin 3-glucoside modulated cell cycle progression in liver precancerous lesion, in vivo study

BACKGROUND

Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (cyan) exhibits antioxidant and anticancer properties. The cell cycle proteins and antimitotic drugs might be promising therapeutic targets in hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM

To investigate the effect of cyan administration on cell cycle in hepatic precancerous lesion (PCL) induced by diethylnitrosamine/2-acetylaminofluorene (DEN/2-AAF) in Wistar rats.

METHODS

In vivo, DEN/2-AAF-induced hepatic PCL, rats were treated with three doses of cyan (10, 15, and 20 mg/kg/d, for four consecutive days per week for 16 wk). Blood and liver tissue samples were collected for measurement of the followings; alpha fetoprotein (AFP) liver function and RNA panel differential expression was evaluated via real time polymerase chain reaction. Histopathological examination of liver sections stained with H&E and immunohistochemical study using glutathione S-transferase placental (GSTP) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) antibodies were assessed.

RESULTS

Cyan administration mitigated the effect of DEN/2-AFF induced PCL, decreased AFP levels, and improved liver function. Remarkably, treatment with cyan dose dependently decreased the long non-coding RNA MALAT1 and tubulin gamma 1 mRNA expressions and increased the levels of miR-125b, all of which are involved in cell cycle and mitotic spindle assembly. Of note, cyan decreased GSTP foci percent area and PCNA positively stained nuclei.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicated that cyan could be used as a potential therapeutic agent to inhibit liver carcinogenesis in rat model via modulation of cell cycle.

Serum miR-125b levels associated with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) development and treatment responses

Downexpression of miRs was associated with tumor development, progression, and metastasis. This study explored the serum levels of miR-125b in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and to assess its diagnostic value and monitor treatment responses for patients with EOC. A total of 379 individuals were recruited and assigned to the study groups. RT-qPCR analysis was performed to confirm the association of serum miR-125b levels with tumor stages and treatment responses. The median serum levels of miR-125b in patients with EOC were significantly lower than that of other controls (P < 0.0001). Serum miR-125b in patients with high FIGO stage (III+IV), lymph node metastasis, and chemoresistance were lower than that in patients with early-stage (stage I+ II; P < 0.001), without lymph metastasis (p = 0.032) and chemosensitivity (P < 0.001). Low levels of miR-125b had a poor prognosis in patients with EOC. Using a median value of 0.748 to separate EOC from other controls, the sensitivity and specificity reached 0.76 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.85) and 0.416 (95% CI 0.26 to 0.55), respectively. Serum miR-125b showed a statistically significant difference between preoperative and postoperative patients in surgical patient groups (P = 0.003). Serum miR-125b levels were lower in patients with chemoresistance than that in patients with chemosensitivity (P < 0.0001). Serum miR-125b in combination with serum CA125 improved both sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis of EOC (P < 0.001). This study demonstrated that serum miR-125b levels were a useful diagnostic biomarker and biomarker to predict the responses to chemotherapy in patients with EOC.

Potential diagnostic value of circulating miRNA for multiple myeloma: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second incurable hematological malignancy. In recent years, due to the rise of microRNA (miRNA), many scholars have participated in the study of its value in the diagnosis of MM, and have obtained good but inconsistent results. Therefore, in order to determine the role of miRNA in the early diagnosis of MM, we performed this meta-analysis.

METHODS

We searched for related studies including PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang Database as of July 20, 2020 to conduct this meta-analysis. To improve the accuracy, the quality assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Study 2 (QUADAS-2) was used. We also applied random effects models to summarize sensitivity and specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and area under the curve (AUC) to measure diagnostic values, and subgroup analysis used to discover potential sources of heterogeneity.

RESULTS

We finally collected 32 studies from 15 articles that included a total of 2053 MM patients and 1118 healthy controls in this meta-analysis. The overall sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR and AUC were 0.81, 0.85, 5.5, 0.22, 25 and 0.90, respectively. Subgroup analysis shows that the down-regulation of microRNA clusters with larger samples size of plasma type could carry out a better diagnostic accuracy of MM patients. In addition, publication bias was not found.

CONCLUSIONS

Circulating miRNA could be a potential non-invasive biomarker for early diagnosis of MM. However, multi-center, more rigorous, and larger-scale studies are needed to verify our conclusions.

Tumor-Derived Exosomal miRNAs as Diagnostic Biomarkers in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background

Delayed diagnosis is the main obstacle to improve prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Novel biomarkers for the diagnosis of NSCLC are urgently needed. This study aimed to identify the specific exosomal miRNAs with diagnostic and prognostic potential in NSCLC patients.

Materials and Methods

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), qNano and western blots were used to characterize the exosomes isolated from the serum of NSCLC patients (n=330) and healthy donors (n=312) by ultracentrifugation. Exosomal miRNAs were profiled by miRNA microarrays and verified by quantitative PCR (qPCR). The diagnostic accuracy was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

Results

A total of differential 22 miRNAs were screened out based on P < 0.05 and fold difference>2.0 by miRNA microarrays, among which, exosomal miR-5684 and miR-125b-5p were significantly down-regulated in NSCLC patients compared to healthy donors, processing favorable diagnostic efficiency for (early) NSCLC. Importantly, the exosomal miR-125b-5p were associated with metastasis (P < 0.0001), chemotherapeutic effect (P=0.007) and survival (P=0.008).

Conclusion

Exosomal miR-5684 and miR-125b-5p levels are significantly down-regulated in NSCLC patients, and serve as the promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for NSCLC.

Role of microRNAs in Diagnosis, Prognosis and Management of Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a cancerous bone disease characterized by malignant transformation of plasma cells in the bone marrow. MM is considered to be the second most common blood malignancy, with 20,000 new cases reported every year in the USA. Extensive research is currently enduring to validate diagnostic and therapeutic means to manage MM. microRNAs (miRNAs) were shown to be dysregulated in MM cases and to have a potential role in either progression or suppression of MM. Therefore, researchers investigated miRNAs levels in MM plasma cells and created tools to test their impact on tumor growth. In the present review, we discuss the most recently discovered miRNAs and their regulation in MM. Furthermore, we emphasized utilizing miRNAs as potential targets in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of MM, which can be useful for future clinical management.

Emerging role of miRNAs as liquid biopsy markers for prediction of glioblastoma multiforme prognosis

Serum miRNAs (miRs) have gained consideration as encouraging molecular markers for cancer diagnosis and prediction of prognosis. The authors aimed to identify the exact role of miR-17-5p, miR-125b, and miR-221 among glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients before and after standard treatment, and correlate their expression with survival pattern. The study included 25 GBM patients and 20 healthy controls. Serum miR-17-5p, miR-125b, and miR-221 expression were analyzed before and after treatment using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The diagnostic efficacy for the tested miRs was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the relation of miRs expression versus clinical criteria for GBM was assessed. Patients' survival patterns were examined versus miRs expression levels. A significant difference was reported between miRs expression among the enrolled individuals. Both miR-17-5p and miR-221 reported significant elevations in GBM patients who: are above 60 years old, underwent biopsy resection, have a non-frontal lesion, with tumor size above 5 cm, and with performance status equals 2 according to the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status. With regard to miR-125b, a significant difference was detected according to surgery strategy, primary lesion of the tumor, and ECOG status. MiRs levels were significantly decreased for GBM patients after treatment. Survival patterns demonstrated an increase in miR-17-5p, miR-125b, and miR-221 in GBM patients with worse progression-free survival and among those with worse overall survival. Detection of serum miR-17-5p, miR-125b, and miR-221 aids in the prediction of prognosis and response to treatment strategy for GBM patients.

High-throughput analysis and functional interpretation of extracellular vesicle content in hematological malignancies

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-coated particles secreted by virtually all cell types in response to different stimuli, both in physiological and pathological conditions. Their content generally reflects their biological functions and includes a variety of molecules, such as nucleic acids, proteins and cellular components. The role of EVs as signaling vehicles has been widely demonstrated. In particular, they are actively involved in the pathogenesis of several hematological malignancies (HM), mainly interacting with a number of target cells and inducing functional and epigenetic changes. In this regard, by releasing their cargo, EVs play a pivotal role in the bilateral cross-talk between tumor microenvironment and cancer cells, thus facilitating mechanisms of immune escape and supporting tumor growth and progression. Recent advances in high-throughput technologies have allowed the deep characterization and functional interpretation of EV content. In this review, the current knowledge on the high-throughput technology-based characterization of EV cargo in HM is summarized.

MicroRNAs-Based Nano-Strategies as New Therapeutic Approach in Multiple Myeloma to Overcome Disease Progression and Drug Resistance

MicroRNAs (miRNAs, or miRs) are single-strand short non-coding RNAs with a pivotal role in the regulation of physiological- or disease-associated cellular processes. They bind to target miRs modulating gene expression at post-transcriptional levels. Here, we present an overview of miRs deregulation in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma (MM), and discuss the potential use of miRs/nanocarriers association in clinic. Since miRs can act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, strategies based on their inhibition and/or replacement represent the new opportunities in cancer therapy. The miRs delivery systems include liposomes, polymers, and exosomes that increase their physical stability and prevent nuclease degradation. Phase I/II clinical trials support the importance of miRs as an innovative therapeutic approach in nanomedicine to prevent cancer progression and drug resistance. Results in clinical practice are promising.

MicroRNA-937 is overexpressed and predicts poor prognosis in patients with colon cancer

Background

Colon cancer is a heterogeneous tumor and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. MicroRNA (miRNA) has been proposed as the biomarker in cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance and potential functional role of miR-937 in colon cancer.

Methods

In the present study, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to examine the expression levels of miR-937 in colon cancer tissues and cell lines. Kaplan-Meier curve and Cox regression analyses were used to determine the prognostic impact of miR-937 on survival. Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell assays were performed to examine cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, respectively.

Results

miR-937 was significantly upregulated in colon cancer tissues and cell lines. Clinical analysis results showed that miR-937 expression was associated with lymph node metastasis and TNM stage. Patients with high miR-937 expression predicted a shorter overall survival rate. Functionally, overexpression of miR-937 promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while inhibition of miR-937 inhibited these cellular behaviors in vitro.

Conclusions

These results suggested that miR-937 may act as a prognostic biomarker and a potential target for therapeutic strategy, as well as promote proliferation, migration, and invasion of colon cancer.

Automatic discovery of 100-miRNA signature for cancer classification using ensemble feature selection

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNA molecules heavily involved in human tumors, in which few of them circulating the human body. Finding a tumor-associated signature of miRNA, that is, the minimum miRNA entities to be measured for discriminating both different types of cancer and normal tissues, is of utmost importance. Feature selection techniques applied in machine learning can help however they often provide naive or biased results.

Results

An ensemble feature selection strategy for miRNA signatures is proposed. miRNAs are chosen based on consensus on feature relevance from high-accuracy classifiers of different typologies. This methodology aims to identify signatures that are considerably more robust and reliable when used in clinically relevant prediction tasks. Using the proposed method, a 100-miRNA signature is identified in a dataset of 8023 samples, extracted from TCGA. When running eight-state-of-the-art classifiers along with the 100-miRNA signature against the original 1046 features, it could be detected that global accuracy differs only by 1.4%. Importantly, this 100-miRNA signature is sufficient to distinguish between tumor and normal tissues. The approach is then compared against other feature selection methods, such as UFS, RFE, EN, LASSO, Genetic Algorithms, and EFS-CLA. The proposed approach provides better accuracy when tested on a 10-fold cross-validation with different classifiers and it is applied to several GEO datasets across different platforms with some classifiers showing more than 90% classification accuracy, which proves its cross-platform applicability.

Conclusions

The 100-miRNA signature is sufficiently stable to provide almost the same classification accuracy as the complete TCGA dataset, and it is further validated on several GEO datasets, across different types of cancer and platforms. Furthermore, a bibliographic analysis confirms that 77 out of the 100 miRNAs in the signature appear in lists of circulating miRNAs used in cancer studies, in stem-loop or mature-sequence form. The remaining 23 miRNAs offer potentially promising avenues for future research.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12859-019-3050-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

MicroRNA-125b-5p regulates IL-1β induced inflammatory genes via targeting TRAF6-mediated MAPKs and NF-κB signaling in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes

Abnormal post-transcriptional modulations in inflammatory genes by microRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in human disorders including arthritis. In this study, we determined the effect of hsa-miR-125b-5p on interleukin (IL)-1β induced inflammatory genes in human osteoarthritic (OA) chondrocytes. Bioinformatics algorithms showed 3′untranslated region (3′UTR) of TRAF6 mRNA (NM_004620.3) has perfectly matched ‘seed-sequence’ for hsa-miR-125b-5p. Treatment of cells with IL-1β up-regulates TRAF6 mRNA and down-regulates hsa-miR-125b-5p expression. This negative correlation between TRAF6 and hsa-miR-125b-5p was verified by transfection with miR-125b mimic (pre-miR-125b). Moreover, transfection with miR-125b mimic caused marked inhibition of IL-1β-induced phosphorylation of p38-MAPK, JNK-MAPKs and ERK-MAPKs and also suppressed the nuclear levels of NF-κBp50, NF-κBp65 and inhibited the activation of IκBα. Furthermore, transfected chondrocytes with miR-125b mimic in the presence of IL-1β also showed marked inhibition in the secretion of several proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines and growth factors including IL-6, IL-8, INF-γ, TGF-β1, IGFBP-1 and PGDF-BB. Importantly, this transfection also significantly inhibited IL-1β- induced MMP-13 expression/production. In short, this study concludes that hsa-miR-125b-5p acts as a negative co-regulator of inflammatory genes including MMP-13 via targeting TRAF6/MAPKs/NF-κB pathway in human OA chondrocytes.

Downregulation of miR-136 promotes the progression of osteosarcoma and is associated with the prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common bone tumor in children and young adults, and is an aggressive tumor with poor prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are aberrantly expressed in various types of cancer, and contribute to cancer tumorigenesis and progression. In the present study, the potential prognostic value and biological function of miRNA-136 (miR-136) in OS was investigated. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to evaluate the expression of miR-136 in OS tissues and cell lines. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression analysis were conducted to investigate the prognostic significance of miR-136. Various in vitro cell based assays were used to evaluate the effects of miR-136 on the biological behavior of OS cells. A luciferase assay was performed to determine the key miR-136 targets associated with OS. The expression of miR-136 was significantly downregulated in osteosarcoma tissues and cells compared with the normal controls (all P<0.05). Decreased miR-136 expression was significantly associated with Enneking staging (P=0.030) and distant metastasis (P=0.016). Decreased miR-136 expression in patients was associated with shorter overall survival compared with patients with increased expression levels (log-rank test; P<0.05). The expression of miR-136 was indicated as an independent prognostic factor for the patients (hazard ratio=0.496; 95% confidence interval=0.250-0.987; P=0.046). MTT, transwell and Matrigel assays demonstrated that upregulation of miR-136 decreased proliferation, migration and invasion of OS cells. Bioinformatics and luciferase assays demonstrated that migration and invasion enhancer 1 (MIEN1) is a direct target of miR-136. Together, the results suggested that miR-136 functions as a tumor suppressor gene to regulate proliferation, migration and invasion of OS cells. MIEN1 was a potential target of miR-136. Additionally, miR-136 may serve as a prognostic biomarker for OS.