Association between microRNA-527 and glypican-3 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Potential plasma microRNAs signature miR-190b-5p, miR-215-5p and miR-527 as non-invasive biomarkers for prostate cancer

BackgroundProstate cancer (PCa) is the most prevalent (20%) pathological cancer among males globally. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short (19-22 nucleotide), conserved, noncoding molecules that regulate post-transcriptional processes either by repressing or degrading mRNA or by translation inhibition binding to complementary sites on mRNA. The goal of this study was to find out whether differentially expressed microRNA (DEM) could be used as a potential marker in the prognosis and diagnosis of PCa.MethodologyThe miRNAs profiling was done both from plasma and tissue samples of the same PCa patient (n = 3) by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and compared with BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) patients (n = 3) as controls and further validation of selected miRNAs.ResultsWe found 55 significant overexpressed DEMs, 44 significant underexpressed DEMs in plasma and 6 significant overexpressed DEMs, 27 significant underexpressed DEMs in tissue compared between PCa and BPH. Furthermore, there were eight miRNAs namely miR-190b, miR-215, miR-300, miR-329, miR-504, miR-525-3p, miR-527, miR-548a-3p found to be significantly differentially expressed in plasma and tissue samples via profiling, however only three showed concordant expression. After validation, miR-190b-5p were shown to be significantly downexpressed with fold changes of 0.4177 (p value - 0.0072) and 0.7264 (p value - 0.0143) in plasma and tissue samples, respectively. The expression of miR-215-5p was shown to be significantly overexpressed with fold change of 1.820 (p - 0.0016) and 1.476 (p - 0.0407) in plasma and tissue samples, respectively. Furthermore, miR-527 was shown to be significantly downexpressed with fold changes of 0.6018 (p - 0.0095) and 0.6917 (p - 0.0155) in plasma and tissue samples, respectively.ConclusionAccording to our findings, plasma miR-190b-5p, miR-215-5p, miR-527 levels alteration is consistently linked with PCa tissue. For establishing significant miRNAs as biomarkers, additional research of a larger population is needed.

Noncoding RNA-mediated molecular bases of chemotherapy resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma

Despite the significant progress in decreasing the occurrence and mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), it remains a public health issue worldwide on the basis of its late presentation and tumor recurrence. To date, apart from surgical interventions, such as surgical resection, liver transplantation and locoregional ablation, current standard antitumor protocols include conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, due to the high chemoresistance nature, most current therapeutic agents show dismal outcomes for this refractory malignancy, leading to disease relapse. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms involved in chemotherapy resistance remain systematically ambiguous. Herein, HCC is hierarchically characterized by the formation of primitive cancer stem cells (CSCs), progression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), unbalanced autophagy, delivery of extracellular vesicles (EVs), escape of immune surveillance, disruption of ferroptosis, alteration of the tumor microenvironment and multidrug resistance-related signaling pathways that mediate the multiplicity and complexity of chemoresistance. Of note, anecdotal evidence has corroborated that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) extensively participate in the critical physiological processes mentioned above. Therefore, understanding the detailed regulatory bases that underlie ncRNA-mediated chemoresistance is expected to yield novel insights into HCC treatment. In the present review, a comprehensive summary of the latest progress in the investigation of chemotherapy resistance concerning ncRNAs will be elucidated to promote tailored individual treatment for HCC patients.

Comprehensive competitive endogenous RNA network analysis reveals EZH2-related axes and prognostic biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma

Objectives

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common and lethal type of cancer worldwide. The importance of non-coding RNAs such as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs) have been recognized in the development of HCC. In this study, we constructed a four-component competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network in HCC and evaluated prognostic values of the ceRNAs.

Materials and Methods

The expression profiles of lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. GSE94508 and GSE97332 studies from the Gene Expression Omnibus database were used to identify circRNAs expression profiles. A four-component ceRNA network was constructed based on differentially-expressed RNAs. Survival R package was utilized to identify potential prognostic biomarkers.

Results

A four-component ceRNA network including 295 edges and 239 nodes was constructed and enrichment analysis revealed important Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. A Protein-Protein Interaction network with 118 nodes and 301 edges was also established. The enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) was the highest degree hub gene in the PPI network. Because of the significance of EZH2 in HCC, we presented its axes in the ceRNA network, which play important roles in HCC progression. Furthermore, ceRNAs were identified as potential prognostic biomarkers utilizing survival analysis.

Conclusion

Our study elucidates the role of ceRNAs and their regulatory interactions in the pathogenesis of HCC and identifies EZH2-related RNAs which may be utilized as novel therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers in the future.