Long noncoding RNA RP11-909N17.2 promotes proliferation, invasion, and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating microRNA-767-3p

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, especially in developing countries. Although advances in surgical procedures and targeted medicine have improved the overall survival of patients with HCC, the prognosis is poor. Hence, there is a need to identify novel therapeutic targets for HCC. Here, we report that the expression of RP11-909N17.2, a novel, long, noncoding RNA (lncRNA), is dysregulated in patients with HCC and cell lines. Additionally, this study demonstrated that RP11-909N17.2 facilitates the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells by binding to miRNA-767-3p, a tumor-suppressive microRNA (miRNA). Small integral membrane protein 7 (SMIM7) was identified as the downstream target of miRNA-767-3p. The expression of SMIM7 was upregulated in HCC clinical samples and cell lines. Moreover, SMIM7 was involved in the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells. Furthermore, SMIM7 inhibited the apoptosis of HCC cells, which indicated the oncogenic role of SMIM7 in HCC. The findings of this study suggest that the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory axis, which regulates the pathogenesis of HCC, can be a potential novel diagnostic and therapeutic target for HCC.

Long noncoding RNA MALAT1 participates in the pathological angiogenesis of diabetic retinopathy in an oxygen-induced retinopathy mouse model by sponging miR-203a-3p

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a devastating complication of diabetes. The aim of the present study is to investigate the exact role and mechanism of long noncoding RNA MALAT1 (MALAT1) in the progress of DR. An oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mouse model and high glucose (HG) stimulated human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs) were employed to mimic the pathological statues of DR. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot results showed that MALAT1, VEGFA, and HIF-1α levels were increased in DR retinal tissues and HG-stimulated HRMECs, whereas the expression of miR-203a-3p was decreased. Knockdown of MALAT1 or upregulation of miR-203a-3p both suppressed HG-induced proliferation, migration, and tube formation of HRMECs. A dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-203a-3p could bind to the predicted seed regions of MALAT1 as evidenced by the reduced luciferase activity. Furthermore, enforced downregulation of miR-203a-3p abolished the suppressive effect of MALAT1 silencing on HRMEC cell migration and tube formation. In conclusion, these data demonstrated that MALAT1 may affect angiogenesis by sponging miR-203a-3p in DR, suggesting that MALAT1 may act as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of DR.

LncRNA SNHG1 enhances cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the effects of lncRNA SNHG1 on the proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of cervical cancer cells.

METHODS

Three pairs of cervical cancer tissue samples and their corresponding adjacent samples were analyzed using Human LncRNA Microarray V3.0 chip for differential analysis. The expression of SNHG1 in cervical cancer cell lines was verified by qRT-PCR. CCK8 assays and colony formation assays were used to study the changes in cell proliferation. Cell migration and Transwell assays were used to study changes in cell migration and invasiveness.

RESULTS

SNHG1 was highly expressed in cervical cancer tissues and cervical cancer cell lines. SNHG1 siRNA could knock-down the expression level of SNHG1 in cervical cancer cell lines HeLa and C33-A. After knock-down of SNHG1, cell proliferation and migration as well as invasiveness in HeLa and C-33A cells decreased.

CONCLUSION

LncRNA SNHG1 promotes the development of cervical cancer cells.

A role for chromatin topology in imprinted domain regulation

Recently, many advancements in genome-wide chromatin topology and nuclear architecture have unveiled the complex and hidden world of the nucleus, where chromatin is organized into discrete neighbourhoods with coordinated gene expression. This includes the active and inactive X chromosomes. Using X chromosome inactivation as a working model, we utilized publicly available datasets together with a literature review to gain insight into topologically associated domains, lamin-associated domains, nucleolar-associating domains, scaffold/matrix attachment regions, and nucleoporin-associated chromatin and their role in regulating monoallelic expression. Furthermore, we comprehensively review for the first time the role of chromatin topology and nuclear architecture in the regulation of genomic imprinting. We propose that chromatin topology and nuclear architecture are important regulatory mechanisms for directing gene expression within imprinted domains. Furthermore, we predict that dynamic changes in chromatin topology and nuclear architecture play roles in tissue-specific imprint domain regulation during early development and differentiation.