Long non-coding RNA TMPO-AS1 promotes cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in gallbladder carcinoma by regulating the microRNA-1179/E2F2 axis

Competing Endogenous TMPO-AS1-let-7c-5p- LDHA RNA Network Predicts the Prognosis of Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients

OBJECTIVE

Lactate dehydrogenase is dysregulated in several cancer types. However, the mechanism of its dysregulation in lung cancer is not fully understood. We utilized web-based computational databases to conduct gene expression analysis on LDHA, identified its regulator, and explored their role in the prognosis of lung cancer.

METHODS

We used various web-based computational tools, including the UALCAN, TIMER2.0, ENCORI, TCGA Portal, OncoDB, and GEPIA2 datasets for lung cancer analysis in this study. We also performed survival, biological processes, and metastasis analysis using various computational tools. We also carried out co-expression functional enrichment analysis using the Enrichr and TIMER databases, multivariate analysis of survival and pathological stage, and transcriptional regulation analysis using the ENCORI and OncoDB datasets. Furthermore, LDHA inhibitor binding of withanolides was analyzed using Auto Dock Tools 1.5.6, LigPlot+, and Pymol.

RESULTS

The study found that the higher levels of LDHA gene expression were associated with poor prognosis and overall survival in lung cancer patients. We identified 11 key genes co-expressed with LDHA; out of them, two genes, MKI67 and PGK1, showed a strong positive correlation with LDHA and associated poor survival outcomes in LUAD patients. Furthermore, we also identified hsa-let-7c-5p and TMPO-AS1 as potential regulators of LDHA in LUAD. It might be possible that the TMPO-AS1- hsa-let-7c-5p-LDHA ceRNA network could serve as a potential regulator of aerobic glycolysis in LUAD and can serve as prognostic biomarkers. Further, Withanolides can inhibit the activity of LDHA and can be tested as an adjuvant treatment.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that LDHA is overexpressed in LUAD, and the patients with high expression of LDHA exhibit poor prognosis. Further, the TMPO-AS1-hsa-let-7c-5p-LDHA ceRNA network can regulate aerobic glycolysis, thereby facilitating tumor growth in lung cancer.

Long Noncoding RNA GUSBP11 Knockdown Alleviates Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma via Regulating miR-1226-3p/TM9SF4 Axis

Purpose: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been confirmed related to the occurrence and progress of multiple cancers, including cervical cancer nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study focused on assessing GUSBP11 effects on NPC progression and exploring possible mechanisms. Materials and Methods: RT-qPCR was conducted for assessing GUSBP11 levels within NPC tissues and cells. CCK-8, colony formation, and Transwell were adopted for examining GUSBP11 impacts on NPC cell proliferation and cell metastasis. RT-qPCR analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assay were conducted for judging the expression interrelation of GUSBP11 and its potential target miR-1226-3p. The same methods were carried out for verifying the inhibiting influences of miR-1226-3p upregulation and its potential target TM9SF4. Results: GUSBP11 levels were upregulated within NPC tissues and cells. GUSBP11 downregulation repressed NPC cell proliferation and cell metastasis. In addition, GUSBP11 targeted and negatively regulated miR-1226-3p. Furthermore, miR-1226-3p targeted TM9SF4 and mediated GUSBP11's impacts on TM9SF4 levels. At last, the authors proved the critical role of the GUSBP11/miR-1226-3p/TM9SF4 axis in regulating NPC progression. Conclusion: These findings indicate that downregulation of GUSBP11 alleviates NPC development by regulating the miR-1226-3p/TM9SF4 axis.

In Silico and Experimental Analyses of Long Non-coding RNA TMPO-AS1 Expression in Iranian Patients with Gastric Cancer

Background: In recent decades, many long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play a prominent role in tumorigenesis and the progression of human cancers, including gastric cancer (GC), a leading cause of cancer death in Iranian men and women. Studies have demonstrated that thymopoietin antisense transcript 1 (TMPO-AS1) was upregulated in different cancers by acting as an oncogenic lncRNA. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the expression of lncRNA TMPO-AS1 in Iranian patients with GC. Methods: In order to conduct the present study, 40 gastric tumor samples and 40 marginal noncancerous counterparts were collected. The characteristics of patients’ samples were recorded, and the TMPO-AS1 expression levels were evaluated by qRT-PCR analysis. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data for TMPO-AS1 were used and analyzed through GEPIA and TANRIC online tools. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to estimate the diagnostic value. Student t-test, one-way ANOVA, and chi-square test were accomplished via SPSS software. Results: Our data demonstrated that TMPO-AS1 was overexpressed in cancerous tissues compared to adjacent nonmalignant ones (P = 0.0076). None of the demographic and clinicopathological data were associated with TMPO-AS1 expression levels. The TCGA data demonstrated that TMPO-AS1 was upregulated in GC tissues in comparison to adjacent nonmalignant ones (P = 0.001). ROC curve analysis suggested that TMPO-AS1 expression levels could discriminate GC tumor tissues from normal ones (AUC = 0.699, P = 0.001). Conclusions: Altogether, in our study, we demonstrated that lncRNA TMPO-AS1 may be considered a biomarker in Iranian patients with GC. However, further investigations are required to confirm the potential application of this lncRNA in diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic applications of GC.

GBCdb: RNA expression landscapes and ncRNA-mRNA interactions in gallbladder carcinoma

Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC), an aggressive malignant tumor of the biliary system, is characterized by high cellular heterogeneity and poor prognosis. Fewer data have been reported in GBC than other common cancer types. Multi-omics data will contribute to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cancer, cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Herein, to provide better understanding of the molecular events in GBC pathogenesis, we developed GBCdb ( http://tmliang.cn/gbc/ ), a user-friendly interface for the query and browsing of GBC-associated genes and RNA interaction networks using published multi-omics data, which also included experimentally supported data from different molecular levels. GBCdb will help to elucidate the potential biological roles of different RNAs and allow for the exploration of RNA interactions in GBC. These resources will provide an opportunity for unraveling the potential molecular features of Gallbladder carcinoma.

Non-coding RNAs as potential biomarkers of gallbladder cancer

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) performs strongly invasive and poor prognosis, and adenocarcinoma is the most common histological type in it. Statistically, the 5-year survival rate of patients with advanced GBC is less than 5%. Such dismal outcome might be caused by chemotherapy resistance and native biology of tumor cells, regardless of emerging therapeutic strategies. Early diagnosis, depending on biomarkers, receptors and secretive proteins, is more important than clinical therapy, guiding the pathologic stage of cancer and the choice of medication. Therefore, it is in urgent need to understand the specific pathogenesis of GBC and strive to find promising novel biomarkers for early screening in GBC. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), especially microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), are confirmed to participate in and regulate the occurrence and development of GBC. Exceptionally, lncRNAs and circRNAs could act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) containing binding sites for miRNAs and crosstalk with miRNAs to target regulatory downstream protein-coding messenger RNAs (mRNAs), thus affecting the expression levels of specific proteins to participate in and regulate the development and progression of GBC. It follows that ncRNAs may become promising biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for GBC. In this review, we mainly summarize the recent research progress of miRNAs and lncRNAs in regulating the development and progression of GBC, chemoresistance, and predicting the prognosis of patients, and highlight the potential applications of the lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA cross-regulatory networks in early diagnosis, chemoresistance, and prognostic evaluation, aiming to better understand the pathogenesis of GBC and develop new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

A long non-coding RNA with important roles in the carcinogenesis

Long non-coding RNAs are demonstrated to contribute to carcinogenesis. TMPO Antisense RNA 1 (TMPO-AS1) is an example of lncRNAs with crucial roles in this process. This lncRNA serves as a sponge for miR-320a, miR-383-5p, miR-329-3p, miR-126, miR-329, miR-199a-5p, miR-577, miR-4731-5p, miR-140-5p, miR-1179, miR-143-3p, miR-326, miR-383-5p, let-7c-5p, let-7g-5p, miR-199a-5p, miR-200c, miR-204-3p, miR-126-5p, miR-383-5p, miR-498, miR-143-3p, miR-98-5p, miR-140 and miR-143. It can also affect activity of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. The current review summarizes the role of TMPO-AS1 in the carcinogenesis and assessment of its potential as a marker for certain types of cancers.