MicroRNA-152 inhibits tumor cell growth by directly targeting RTKN in hepatocellular carcinoma

Current and Future States of Natural Killer Cell-Based Immunotherapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphoid cells that exhibit high levels of cytotoxicity against NK-specific targets. NK cells also produce various cytokines, and interact with T cells, B cells, and dendritic cells to effectively serve as frontliners of the innate immune system. Produce various cytokines, and interact with T cells, B cells, and dendritic cells to effectively serve as frontliners of the innate immune system. Moreover, NK cells constitute the second most common immune cell in the liver. These properties have drawn significant attention towards leveraging NK cells in treating liver cancer, especially hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which accounts for 75% of all primary liver cancer and is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Notable anti-cancer functions of NK cells against HCC include activating antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC), facilitating Gasdermin E-mediated pyroptosis of HCC cells, and initiating an antitumor response via the cGAS-STING signaling pathway. In this review, we describe how these mechanisms work in the context of HCC. We will then discuss the existing preclinical and clinical studies that leverage NK cell activity to create single and combined immunotherapies.

Effects of oral β-cryptoxanthin administration on the transcriptomes of peripheral neutrophil and liver tissue using microarray analysis in post-weaned Holstein calves

We investigated the effects of oral administration of β-cryptoxanthin (β-CRX), a precursor of vitamin A synthesis, on the transcriptomes of peripheral neutrophils and liver tissue in post-weaned Holstein calves with immature immunity. A single oral administration of β-CRX (0.2 mg/kg body weight) was performed in eight Holstein calves (4.0 ± 0.8 months of age; 117 ± 10 kg) on Day 0. Peripheral neutrophils (n = 4) and liver tissue (n = 4) were collected on Days 0 and 7. Neutrophils were isolated by density gradient centrifugation and treated with the TRIzol reagent. mRNA expression profiles were examined by microarray and differentially expressed genes were investigated using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software. The differentially expressed candidate genes identified in neutrophils (COL3A1, DCN, and CCL2) and liver tissue (ACTA1) were involved in enhanced bacterial killing and maintenance of cellular homoeostasis respectively. The changes in the expression of six of the eight common genes encoding enzymes (ADH5 and SQLE) and transcription regulators (RARRES1, COBLL1, RTKN, and HES1) were in the same direction in neutrophils and liver tissue. ADH5 and SQLE are involved in the maintenance of cellular homoeostasis by increasing the availability of substrates, and RARRES1, COBLL1, RTKN, and HES1 are associated with the suppression of apoptosis and carcinogenesis. An in silico analysis revealed that MYC, which is related to the regulation of cellular differentiation and apoptosis, was the most significant upstream regulator in neutrophils and liver tissue. Transcription regulators such as CDKN2A (cell growth suppressor) and SP1 (cell apoptosis enhancer) were significantly inhibited and activated, respectively, in neutrophils and liver tissue. These results suggest that oral administration of β-CRX promotes the expression of candidate genes related to bactericidal ability and regulation of cellular processes in peripheral neutrophils and liver cells in response to the immune-enhancing function of β-CRX in post-weaned Holstein calves.

RHO GTPase family in hepatocellular carcinoma

RHO GTPases are a subfamily of the RAS superfamily of proteins, which are highly conserved in eukaryotic species and have important biological functions, including actin cytoskeleton reorganization, cell proliferation, cell polarity, and vesicular transport. Recent studies indicate that RHO GTPases participate in the proliferation, migration, invasion and metastasis of cancer, playing an essential role in the tumorigenesis and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This review first introduces the classification, structure, regulators and functions of RHO GTPases, then dissects its role in HCC, especially in migration and metastasis. Finally, we summarize inhibitors targeting RHO GTPases and highlight the issues that should be addressed to improve the potency of these inhibitors.

MicroRNA-148a/152 cluster restrains tumor stem cell phenotype of colon cancer via modulating CCT6A

Accumulating evidence has presented that microRNA-148a/152 (miR-148a/152) acts as the tumor inhibitor in various cancers. In this article, we aimed to probe the inhibition of colon cancer stem cells by miR-148a/152 cluster via regulation of CCT6A. miR-148a/152 and CCT6A expression in colon cancer tissues and cells was detected. The relationship between miR-148a/152 expression and the clinicopathological features of patients with colon cancer was analyzed. Colon cancer stem cells (CD44+/CD133+) were selected and high/low expression of miR-148a/152 plasmids were synthesized to intervene CD44+/CD133+ colon cancer stem cells to investigate the function of miR-148a/152 in invasion, migration, proliferation, colony formation and apoptosis of cells. The growth status of nude mice was observed to verify the in-vitro results. The relationship between miR-148a/152 and CCT6A was analyzed. CCT6A upregulated and miR-148a/152 downregulated in colon cancer tissues. MiR-148a/152 expression was correlated with tumor node metastasis stage, lymph node metastasis and differentiation degree. Upregulated miR-148a/152 depressed CCT6A expression and restrained invasion and migration ability, colony formation and proliferation, induced cell apoptosis, depressed OCT4, Nanog and SOX2 mRNA expression of colon cancer stem cells, and descended tumor weight and volume in nude mice. CCT6A was a target gene of miR-148a/152. Overexpression of CCT6A protected colon cancer stem cells. Functional studies showed that upregulation of miR-148a/152 can suppress the migration, invasion and proliferation of CD44+/CD133+ colon cancer stem cells, advance its apoptosis via inhibition of CCT6A expression.

Predictive and Prognostic Value of an MicroRNA Signature for Gastric Carcinoma Undergoing Adjuvant Chemotherapy

Gastric carcinoma (GC) is one of the most common cause of tumor-related death. Chemotherapy resistance usually occurs, leading to cancer relapse and poor survival of GC patients. To investigate the role of miRNAs in chemotherapy resistance for GC patients, we conducted an integrated analysis of miRNA expression and survival information using data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas project. Genome-wide screening of chemotherapy response-specific miRNAs was performed using Cox proportional hazards regression analyses for patients who received chemotherapy or those who had never received chemotherapy, respectively. A four-miRNA expression signature (involving two protective miRNAs, miR-200b and miR-103a, and two risk ones miR-199 and miR-152) was predicted as a specific indicator for GC chemoresistance (p = 0.00053; hazard ratio = 8.63), outperforming those clinicopathological factors. Functional experiments confirmed the roles of these signature miRNAs in regulation of chemotherapy response. Functional enrichment of these signature miRNAs and risk score revealed positive association with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and negative association with cell cycle checkpoint and DNA damage response. Furthermore, the immune infiltration-miRNA functional network analysis revealed transformation from activated effector cells to resting immunosuppressive cells are preferred in GCs with adverse chemotherapy response. In summary, our work identifies a four-miRNA expression signature as a promising chemoresistance biomarker in GC, which provides novel insights into developing new strategies to overcome GC chemoresistance.

miR-152 Regulates Bovine Myoblast Proliferation by Targeting KLF6

Though miRNAs have been reported to regulate bovine myoblast proliferation, but many miRNAs still need to be further explored. Specifically, miR-152 is a highly expressed miRNA in cattle skeletal muscle tissues, but its function in skeletal muscle development is unknown. Herein, we aimed to investigate the role of miR-152 in regulating bovine myoblast proliferation. Functionally, RT-qPCR, Western blotting, EdU assay, and flow cytometry detection results showed that miR-152 inhibited bovine myoblast proliferation. Mechanistically, we demonstrated transcription factor KLF6 was a target gene of miR-152 by means of bioinformatics software prediction and dual-luciferase report analysis, which had been demonstrated to be favorable for myoblast proliferation. Collectively, our research suggested that miR-152 inhibits bovine myoblast proliferation via targeting KLF6.

HCV Proteins Modulate the Host Cell miRNA Expression Contributing to Hepatitis C Pathogenesis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development

Simple Summary

According to the last estimate by the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 71 million individuals have chronic hepatitis C worldwide. The persistence of HCV infection leads to chronic hepatitis, which can evolve into liver cirrhosis and ultimately into hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although the pathogenic mechanisms are not fully understood, it is well established that an interplay between host cell factors, including microRNAs (miRNA), and viral components exist in all the phases of the viral infection and replication. Those interactions establish a complex equilibrium between host cells and HCV and participate in multiple mechanisms characterizing hepatitis C pathogenesis. The present review aims to describe the role of HCV structural and non-structural proteins in the modulation of cellular miRNA during HCV infection and pathogenesis.

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome encodes for one long polyprotein that is processed by cellular and viral proteases to generate 10 polypeptides. The viral structural proteins include the core protein, and the envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2, present at the surface of HCV particles. Non-structural (NS) proteins consist of NS1, NS2, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, NS5a, and NS5b and have a variable function in HCV RNA replication and particle assembly. Recent findings evidenced the capacity of HCV virus to modulate host cell factors to create a favorable environment for replication. Indeed, increasing evidence has indicated that the presence of HCV is significantly associated with aberrant miRNA expression in host cells, and HCV structural and non-structural proteins may be responsible for these alterations. In this review, we summarize the recent findings on the role of HCV structural and non-structural proteins in the modulation of host cell miRNAs, with a focus on the molecular mechanisms responsible for the cell re-programming involved in viral replication, immune system escape, as well as the oncogenic process. In this regard, structural and non-structural proteins have been shown to modulate the expression of several onco-miRNAs or tumor suppressor miRNAs.

c-MYC-induced long noncoding RNA MEG3 aggravates kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury through activating mitophagy by upregulation of RTKN to trigger the Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI)-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is a life-threatening disease. The activation of mitophagy was previously identified to play an important role in IRI. Maternally expressed 3 (MEG3) can promote cerebral IRI and hepatic IRI. The present study was designed to study the role of MEG3 in renal IRI. Renal IRI mice models were established, and HK-2 cells were used to construct the in vitro models of IRI. Hematoxylin-eosin staining assay was applied to reveal IRI-triggered tubular injury. MitoTracker Green FM staining and an ALP kit were employed for detection of mitophagy. TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling assay was used to reveal cell apoptosis. The results showed that renal cortex of IRI mice contained higher expression of MEG3 than that of sham mice. MEG3 expression was also elevated in HK-2 cells following IRI, suggesting that MEG3 might participate in the development of IRI. Moreover, downregulation of MEG3 inhibited the apoptosis of HK-2 cells after IRI. Mitophagy was activated by IRI, and the inhibition of MEG3 can restore mitophagy activity in IRI-treated HK-2 cells. Mechanistically, we found that MEG3 can bind with miR-145-5p in IRI-treated cells. In addition, rhotekin (RTKN) was verified to serve as a target of miR-145-5p. MEG3 upregulated RTKN expression by binding with miR-145-5p. Further, MEG3 activated the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by upregulation of RTKN. The downstream effector of Wnt/β-catenin pathway, c-MYC, served as the transcription factor to activate MEG3. In conclusion, the positive feedback loop of MEG3/miR-145-5p/RTKN/Wnt/β-catenin/c-MYC promotes renal IRI by activating mitophagy and inducing apoptosis, which might offer a new insight into the therapeutic methods for renal IRI in the future.

The role of HOTAIR/miR-152-3p/LIN28B in regulating the progression of endometrial squamous carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

There is growing evidence that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are correlated with malignancy in the modulation of tumor progression. This study aims to investigate the effect of homeobox protein (HOX) transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) on the migration and invasion of ESC.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Starbase was used to identify miRNAs with complementary base pairing with HOTAIR. RNA pull-down and qRT-PCR were employed to investigate the effect of HOTAIR on miR-152-3p. In vitro cell migration and invasion assays were performed to assess the effects of HOTAIR and miR-152-3p on ESC. Computational software, TargetScan, was then used to identify the potential target of miR-152-3p, and their relationship was verified by immunoblotting analysis, qRT-PCR and luciferase reporter assay.

RESULTS

Starbase predicted a potential miR-152-3p binding site in HOTAIR, which was validated by RNA pull-down assay. HOTAIR was negatively correlated with miR-152-3p in ESC. Moreover, HOTAIR promoted migration and invasion of ESC. The oncogenic activity of HOTAIR was partly through its negative regulation of miR-152-3p. LIN28B was identified to be a direct target of miR-152-3p. A negative correlation between LIN28B and miR-152-3p was observed in ESC. In addition, overexpression of miR-152-3p suppressed the progression of ESC by directly targeting and regulating LIN28B.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results reveal that HOTAIR may be a driver of ESC through inhibiting miR-152-3p, a tumor suppressor, suggesting that miR-152-3p may be a potential target for advanced ESC therapeutic treatment.

Conjoint analysis for hepatic carcinoma with hub genes and multi-slice spiral CT

Hepatic carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor, with insidious onset and poor prognosis. However, more hub genes associated with hepatocellular carcinoma are unknown. And there are few researches about the conjoint analysis with the hub genes and multi-slice spiral computerized tomography (CT).A total of 100 HCC participates were recruited, who all received the examination of multi-slice spiral CT. Two expression profile data sets (GSE101728 and GSE101685) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. GEO2R can perform a command to compare gene expression profiles between groups in order to identify differently expressed genes (DEGs). Functional annotation of DEGs via Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis was made with Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). Construction and analysis of protein-protein interaction network were performed. Furthermore, the study could mine of hub genes and explore the correlation with the multi-slice CT. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay was used the exam the expression of hub genes.A total of 10 genes were identified as hub genes with degrees ≥10. The hub genes (NIMA Related Kinase 2 [NEK2], Anillin Actin Binding Protein [ANLN], DNA Topoisomerase II Alpha [TOP2A], Centromere Protein F [CENPF], Assembly Factor For Spindle Microtubules [ASPM], Cell Division Cycle 20 [CDC20], Cyclin Dependent Kinase 1 [CDK1], Cyclin B1 [CCNB1], Epithelial Cell Transforming 2 [ECT2], Cyclin B2 [CCNB2]) were identified from the Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE) network. These hub genes were highly expressed in HCC tissues, and when these genes were highly expressed, the survival prognosis of HCC patients was poor. The type of CT enhancement was significantly related with the expression of NEK2 (P < .001), ANLN (P < .001), and TOP2A (P = .006).The combination between the gene expression (NEK2, ANLN, and TOP2A) and type of CT enhancement might provide a new idea for future basic research and targeted therapy of HCC.

Novel miRNA signature for predicting the stage of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) are reported to be altered and act as potential biomarkers in various cancers. However, miRNA biomarkers for predicting the stage of HCC are limitedly discovered. Hence, we sought to identify a novel miRNA signature associated with cancer stage in HCC. We proposed a support vector machine (SVM)-based cancer stage prediction method, SVM-HCC, which uses an inheritable bi-objective combinatorial genetic algorithm for selecting a minimal set of miRNA biomarkers while maximizing the accuracy of predicting the early and advanced stages of HCC. SVM-HCC identified a 23-miRNA signature that is associated with cancer stages in patients with HCC and achieved a 10-fold cross-validation accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, Matthews correlation coefficient, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 92.59%, 0.98, 0.74, 0.80, and 0.86, respectively; and test accuracy and test AUC of 74.28% and 0.73, respectively. We prioritized the miRNAs in the signature based on their contributions to predictive performance, and validated the prognostic power of the prioritized miRNAs using Kaplan–Meier survival curves. The results showed that seven miRNAs were significantly associated with prognosis in HCC patients. Correlation analysis of the miRNA signature and its co-expressed miRNAs revealed that hsa-let-7i and its 13 co-expressed miRNAs are significantly involved in the hepatitis B pathway. In clinical practice, a prediction model using the identified 23-miRNA signature could be valuable for early-stage detection, and could also help to develop miRNA-based therapeutic strategies for HCC.

A robust 11-genes prognostic model can predict overall survival in bladder cancer patients based on five cohorts

Background

Bladder cancer is the tenth most common cancer globally, but existing biomarkers and prognostic models are limited.

Method

In this study, we used four bladder cancer cohorts from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases to perform univariate Cox regression analysis to identify common prognostic genes. We used the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression to construct a prognostic Cox model. Kaplan-Meier analysis, receiver operating characteristic curve, and univariate/multivariate Cox analysis were used to evaluate the prognostic model. Finally, a co-expression network, CIBERSORT, and ESTIMATE algorithm were used to explore the mechanism related to the model.

Results

A total of 11 genes were identified from the four cohorts to construct the prognostic model, including eight risk genes (SERPINE2, PRR11, DSEL, DNM1, COMP, ELOVL4, RTKN, and MAPK12) and three protective genes (FABP6, C16orf74, and TNK1). The 11-genes model could stratify the risk of patients in all five cohorts, and the prognosis was worse in the group with a high-risk score. The area under the curve values of the five cohorts in the first year are all greater than 0.65. Furthermore, this model's predictive ability is stronger than that of age, gender, grade, and T stage. Through the weighted co-expression network analysis, the gene module related to the model was found, and the key genes in this module were mainly enriched in the tumor microenvironment. B cell memory showed low infiltration in high-risk patients. Furthermore, in the case of low B cell memory infiltration and high-risk score, the prognosis of the patients was the worst.

Conclusion

The proposed 11-genes model is a promising biomarker for estimating overall survival in bladder cancer. This model can be used to stratify the risk of bladder cancer patients, which is beneficial to the realization of individualized treatment.

miR-155 Regulates claudin1 Expression in Humans With Intestinal Mucosa Dysfunction After Brain Injury

Patients with craniocerebral trauma often have intestinal mucosal dysfunction, and the claudin1 protein plays an important role in intestinal mucosal function. Our previous work has shown that the expression of microRNA-155 (miR-155) in the peripheral blood of patients with craniocerebral trauma is decreased. Animal experiments also suggest that the expression of miR-155 is increased in the intestinal mucosa of mice with brain injury and the expression of claudin1 is decreased. We recruited 56 samples (35 patients with traumatic brain injury [TBI] and 21 patients without history of head trauma) to detect the expression of miR-155 on claudin1 regulation by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and so on. We also used the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) to further evaluate the diagnostic value of the 2 biomarkers. From the results, we found that the expression level of miR-155 and claudin1 in the case group was lower than that in the control group. Human miR-155 (Hsa-miR-155) may positively regulate intestinal mucosal function by inhibiting the expression of claudin1, leading to intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction. Combining the ROC curve data, the results further prove that miR-155 and claudin1 might be the new clinical diagnostic markers and treatment targets for the intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction after TBI.

MicroRNA dysregulation interplay with childhood abdominal tumors

Abdominal tumors (AT) in children account for approximately 17% of all pediatric solid tumor cases, and frequently exhibit embryonal histological features that differentiate them from adult cancers. Current molecular approaches have greatly improved the understanding of the distinctive pathology of each tumor type and enabled the characterization of novel tumor biomarkers. As seen in abdominal adult tumors, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been increasingly implicated in either the initiation or progression of childhood cancer. Moreover, besides predicting patient prognosis, they represent valuable diagnostic tools that may also assist the surveillance of tumor behavior and treatment response, as well as the identification of the primary metastatic sites. Thus, the present study was undertaken to compile up-to-date information regarding the role of dysregulated miRNAs in the most common histological variants of AT, including neuroblastoma, nephroblastoma, hepatoblastoma, hepatocarcinoma, and adrenal tumors. Additionally, the clinical implications of dysregulated miRNAs as potential diagnostic tools or indicators of prognosis were evaluated.

Transferrin receptor 1 overexpression is associated with tumour de-differentiation and acts as a potential prognostic indicator of hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. An excess of iron in liver tissue causes oxidative stress, leading to hepatocellular carcinogenesis. Iron metabolism, which is regulated by a complex mechanism, is important for cancer cell survival. The aim of this study is to clarify the role of iron regulatory protein in the progression of HCC and in patient outcome.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We first investigated the mRNA level of iron metabolism-related genes, including hepcidin, ferroportin 1 (FPN-1) and transferrin receptor (TFR)-1/2. TFR-1/2 protein expression was then evaluated in surgical specimens from 210 cases using immunohistochemistry, and we compared clinicopathological factors with TFR-1/2 expression. The mRNA expression levels of TFR-1 were significantly increased in HCC tissues compared with adjacent non-cancerous tissues (P = 0.0013), but there were no differences in other genes. High expression of TFR-1 in HCC was associated with the absence of alcohol abuse (P = 0.0467), liver cirrhosis (P < 0.0001), higher alpha-fetoprotein (AFP; P < 0.0001), smaller tumour size (P = 0.0022), poor histological differentiation (P < 0.0001) and morphological features (P < 0.0001). In contrast, high expression of TFR-2 in HCC was associated with lower AFP (P < 0.0001), well-differentiated histological grade (P < 0.0001) and morphological features (P = 0.0010). Multivariate analysis for both overall survival and recurrence-free survival indicated that high TFR-1 expression was a significant prognostic factor for poor outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

We found an inverse correlation of TFR-1 and TFR-2 expression in AFP and tumour differentiation. TFR-1 overexpression suggests a higher risk of recurrence and death in HCC patients following liver resection.

The Role of MicroRNAs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers, leading to the second cancer-related death in the global. Although the treatment of HCC has greatly improved over the past few decades, the survival rate of patients is still quite low. Thus, it is urgent to explore new therapies, especially seek for more accurate biomarkers for early diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in HCC. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small noncoding RNAs, are pivotal participants and regulators in the development and progression of HCC. Great progress has been made in the studies of miRNAs in HCC. The key regulatory mechanisms of miRNAs include proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), angiogenesis, drug resistance and autophagy in HCC. And exosomal miRNAs also play important roles in proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance in HCC by regulating gene expression in the target cells. In addition, some miRNAs, including exosomal miRNAs, can be as potential diagnostic and prediction markers in HCC. This review summarizes the latest researches development of miRNAs in HCC in recent years.

MicroRNA‑152 regulates insulin secretion and pancreatic β cell proliferation by targeting PI3Kα

An increasing number of microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are reported to have important roles in diabetes. Glucose‑stimulated insulin secretion and pancreatic β cell proliferation are essential in the control of metabolic disorder, however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. The present study investigated the function of miR‑152 in diabetes. The results of reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that miR‑152 levels in the blood were markedly reduced in patients with diabetes compared with nondiabetic controls. In addition, a high blood glucose concentration was significantly associated with reduced miR‑152 expression. Furthermore, overexpression of miR‑152 using miR‑152 mimics promoted the proliferation of INS‑1 and MIN6 cells, as determined by an MTT assay, in addition to insulin secretion, while knockdown of miR‑152 using an inhibitor led to the opposite effects. Phosphatidylinositol 3‑kinase (PI3K) signaling has been reported to inhibit insulin secretion, however, the regulation of PI3K in the pancreatic β cell is poorly understood. The present study identified that PI3K catalytic subunit α (PI3Kα) was a direct target gene of miR‑152 using a luciferase reporter assay, and miR‑152 inhibited the expression of PI3Kα at the protein level, which was determined by western blotting. Therefore, the regulation of insulin secretion and pancreatic β cell proliferation may occur via the miR‑152/PI3Kα axis. The overexpression of PI3Kα in INS‑1 and MIN6 cells partially reduced the effects of miR‑152 overexpression on insulin secretion. Consistently, PI3Kα levels were reduced in murine pancreatic islets following treatment with 20 mM glucose, and increased in blood samples from patients with diabetes compared with healthy individuals. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrate that miR‑152 may have an important role in pancreatic β cell function, and established an association between miR‑152 and the PI3Kα axis. Therefore, targeting PI3Kα may be a potential therapeutic option for diabetes.

Functions of Rhotekin, an Effector of Rho GTPase, and Its Binding Partners in Mammals

Rhotekin is an effector protein for small GTPase Rho. This protein consists of a Rho binding domain (RBD), a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain, two proline-rich regions and a C-terminal PDZ (PSD-95, Discs-large, and ZO-1)-binding motif. We, and other groups, have identified various binding partners for Rhotekin and carried out biochemical and cell biological characterization. However, the physiological functions of Rhotekin, per se, are as of yet largely unknown. In this review, we summarize known features of Rhotekin and its binding partners in neuronal tissues and cancer cells.

miR-96 targets SOX6 and promotes proliferation, migration, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma

Recent research suggested that microRNA 96 (miR-96) might function as an oncogene in several types of cancers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to probe into the mechanism of miR-96 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. HCC tissues and non-tumorous tissues, HCC cell lines, and healthy cell lines were all involved in this study. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot were used to detect miR-96 and SOX6 mRNA and protein expressions. The direct regulation of miR96 on SOX6 was confirmed by luciferase reporter assays. Cell proliferation and growth were determined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl–2-thiazolyl)–2,5-diphenyl–2-H-tetrazolium bromide) assay and colony formation assay. Wound healing and transwell assay were employed for migration and invasion analyses. Finally, SPSS 21.0 and GraphPad 7.0 were applied for statistical analyses. In HCC tissues, miR-96 was highly expressed while SOX6 was lowly expressed. The overexpression of miR-96 reversely inhibited the expression of SOX6, contributing to the promotion of the biological functions of HCC cells. miR-96 could promote cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in HCC by targeting SOX6.

MicroRNA-152 regulates immune response via targeting B7-H1 in gastric carcinoma

MiR-152 has been reported may be involved in carcinogenesis in gastric cancer. However, its role has not been comprehensively investigated in gastric cancer. We found miR-152 in human gastric cancer tissues were significantly lower than that in matched adjacent normal tissues. Meanwhile, lower miR-152 was also found in gastric cancer cell lines. The stage, tumor size and lymph node metastasis rate were significant higher in low–miR-152 group in clinical patients. Furthermore, there was a marked correlation between the levels of miR-152 and B7-H1 mRNA in gastric cancer tissues. Mechanistically, miR-152 directly bind to B7-H1 3′ untranslated region in gastric cancer cell and inhibited B7-H1 expression. Functional study demonstrated that elevation of miR-152 enhanced T cells proliferation and effector cytokines production via inhibiting B7-H1/PD-1 pathway. In conclusion, our work identified a novel mechanism by which immune response is increased by expression of miR-152 via targeting B7-H1. MiR-152 may be a potential therapeutic approach for gastric cancer.

MicroRNA-152 inhibits tumor cell growth while inducing apoptosis via the transcriptional repression of cathepsin L in gastrointestinal stromal tumor

OBJECTIVE

MicroRNAs are widely thought to play a regulatory role in gene expression. Although the more unique microRNA expression profiles have been reported in several tumors, there remains a scarcity of knowledge in relation to microRNA expression profiles in GISTs. During this study, through the alteration in the expression of microRNA-152 (miR-152) in gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) cells, we subsequently evaluated its ability to influence the processes associated with cancer, including proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis, as well as the associated mechanisms.

METHODS

The expression of miR-152 and cathepsin L (CTSL) in GIST cell lines (GIST882, GIST430, GIST48 and GIST-T1) and normal gastric mucosal cell line RGM-1 were determined. A series of miR-152 mimics, miR-152 inhibitors, and siRNA against CTSL were introduced to treat GIST-T1 cells with the lowest miR-152 and the highest CTSL were assessed. Cell viability, cell cycle entry, apoptosis, and cell migration/invasion were all evaluated by means of CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry analyses of Annexin V-FITC/PI staining, and transwell assays.

RESULTS

The target prediction program and luciferase reporter gene assay verified CTSL is the target of miR-152. Regarding the biological significance of miR-152, siRNA knockdown and ectopic expression studies revealed that miR-152 mimic or siRNA against CTSL exposure reduced cell viability and migration/invasion, which resulted in more cells arrested at the S stage, and induced apoptosis. MiR-152 inhibitor exposure was observed to have induced effects on CTSL cells as opposed to those induced by that of the miR-152 mimics. In contrast, miR-152 downregulation abrogated the effects induced by siRNA against CTSL treatment.

CONCLUSION

The key findings of this study provided evidence suggesting that miR-152 functions by means of binding to CTSL to induce GIST cell apoptosis and inhibit proliferation, migration, and invasion. The anti-tumor role of miR-152 makes it an attractive therapeutic target for GIST.

MicroRNA-155 promotes gastric cancer growth and invasion by negatively regulating transforming growth factor-β receptor 2

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and has high morbidity and mortality rates. It is essential to elucidate the molecular events of GC proliferation and invasion, which will provide new therapeutic targets for GC. The inactivation of transforming growth factor-β receptor 2 (TGFβR2) correlates with cancer cell growth and metastasis, but the mechanisms underlying the downregulation of TGFβR2 expression remain unknown. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act as post-transcriptional regulators and play a key role in the development of cancers. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays have shown that miR-155 directly binds to the 3'-UTR of TGFβR2 mRNA. In this study, we found that the TGFβR2 protein levels, but not mRNA levels, were downregulated in GC tissues, and the levels of miR-155 were significantly increased in GC tissues. We deduced that miR-155 was inversely correlated with TGFβR2 in GC cells. In vitro studies showed that overexpression of miR-155 in SGC7901 inhibited the expression of TGFβR2 and then promoted GC cell proliferation and migration, whereas miR-155 inhibitor showed opposite effects. In addition, the tumor-suppressing function of TGFβR2 was verified by using siRNA and TGFβR2 overexpressing plasmids. The results showed that miR-155 promotes cell growth and migration by negatively regulating TGFβR2. Thus, miR-155-regulated TGFβR2 as a potential therapeutic target in GC.

MiR-152 Regulates Apoptosis and Triglyceride Production in MECs via Targeting ACAA2 and HSD17B12 Genes

Mammary epithelial cells (MECs) affect milk production capacity during lactation and are critical for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Our previous studies have revealed that the expression of miR-152 was increased significantly in MECs of cows with high milk production. In the present study, bioinformatics analysis identified ACAA2 and HSD17B12 as the potential targets of miR-152, which were further validated by dual-luciferase repoter assay. In addition, the expressions of miR-152 was shown to be negatively correlated with levels of mRNA and protein of ACAA2, HSD17B12 genes by qPCR and western bot analysis. Furthermore, transfection with miR-152 significantly up-regulated triglyceride production, promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis in MECs. Furthermore, overexpression of ACAA2 and HSD17B12 could inhibit triglyceride production, cells proliferation and induce apoptosis; but sh234-ACAA2-181/sh234-HSD17B12-474 could reverse the trend. These findings suggested that miR-152 could significantly influence triglyceride production and suppress apoptosis, possibly via the expression of target genes ACAA2 and HSD17B12.

LncRNA-CCAT1 Promotes Migration, Invasion, and EMT in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Through Suppressing miR-152

BACKGROUND

Increasing evidence has suggested that lncRNA CCAT1 is upregulated and functions as a potential tumor promoter in many cancers. However, the potential biological roles and regulatory mechanisms of CCAT1 in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) remain unclear.

METHODS

We used real-time PCR to measure CCAT1 expression in ICC tissues and the adjacent normal tissues. The statistical analyses were applied to evaluate the prognostic value and associations of CCAT1 expression with clinical parameters. The CCAT1 was silenced with siRNA in ICC cells. The migration and invasion of ICC cells were detected with Transwell assay. The expressions of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins were evaluated to discover whether the process of EMT was involved.

RESULTS

We found that CCAT1 expression was elevated in ICC tissues compared to the adjacent normal tissues. We also found that high CCAT1 expression is closely correlated with tumor progression in ICC patients. Furthermore, our results show that knockdown of CCAT1 significantly suppressed the migration and invasion of ICC cells. Additionally, CCAT1 silencing remarkably reverses the EMT phenotype of ICC cells. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay revealed that CCAT1 directly bound to the miR-152, which has been reported to serve as a tumor suppressor in variety cancers. Further investigation demonstrated that CCAT1 led to the metastasis and EMT activation of ICC cells through inhibiting miR-152.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggested that CCAT1 functions as an oncogenic lncRNA in ICC, which could serve as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for ICC patients.

MicroRNA-152 Suppresses Human Osteosarcoma Cell Proliferation and Invasion by Targeting E2F Transcription Factor 3

MicroRNA-152 (miR-152) expression has been reported to be downregulated in osteosarcoma (OS). However, the role of miR-152 in OS is not well documented. In the present study, we aimed to explore the function and underlying mechanism of miR-152 in OS. We found that miR-152 was underexpressed in OS tissues and cell lines. Decreased miR-152 was inversely correlated with lymph node metastasis and advanced clinical stage. Overexpression of miR-152 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of OS cells. Bioinformatics analyses showed that miR-152 directly targeted E2F transcription factor 3 (E2F3), as further confirmed by a dual-luciferase reporter assay. E2F3 expression was upregulated and inversely correlated with miR-152 expression level in human OS tissues. Moreover, the inhibitory effects of miR-152 on OS growth and invasion were attenuated by E2F3 overexpression. Taken together, our findings indicated that miR-152 reduced OS growth and invasion by targeting E2F3 and provided new evidence of miR-152 as a potential therapeutic target for OS.

Long non-coding RNA HOTAIR acts as a competing endogenous RNA to promote malignant melanoma progression by sponging miR-152-3p

HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) is associated with the growth and metastasis of many human tumors, but its biological roles in malignant melanoma remain unclear. In this study, we show that HOTAIR is overexpressed in melanoma tissues and cells, especially in metastatic melanoma. High HOTAIR levels correlate with poor prognosis in melanoma patients. We also determined that HOTAIR functions as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-152-3p. miR-152-3p was decreased and acted as a tumor suppressor in melanoma, and c-MET was the functional target of miR-152-3p. Furthermore, HOTAIR promotes the growth and metastasis of melanoma cells by competitively binding miR-152-3p, which functionally liberates c-MET mRNA and results in the activation of the downstream PI3k/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. We determined that HOTAIR acts as a ceRNA to promote malignant melanoma progression by sponging miR-152-3p. This finding elucidates a new mechanism for HOTAIR in melanoma development and provides a potential therapeutic target for melanoma patients.