Long non-coding RNA LINC00491 accelerates head and neck squamous cell carcinoma progression through regulating miR-508-3p/SATB1 axis and activating Wnt signaling pathway

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the most common malignancy of the head and neck epidermis. Accumulating long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been proven to be involved in the occurrence and development of HNSCC. LncRNA long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 491 (LINC00491) has been confirmed to regulate the progression of some cancers. In our study, we aimed to explore the potential biological function of LINC00491 and expound the regulatory mechanism by which LINC00491 affects the progression of HNSCC. RT-qPCR was utilized to analyze the expression of LINC00491 in HNSCC cell lines and the normal cell line. Functionally, we carried out a series of assays to measure cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion, such as EdU assay, colony formation, wound healing and western blot assays. Also, mechanism assays including RNA pull down and RIP were also implemented to investigate the interaction of LINC00491 and RNAs. As a result, we discovered that LINC00491 was highly expressed in HNSCC cells. In addition, LINC00491 depletion suppressed cell proliferation, migration and EMT process. Furthermore, we discovered that LINC00491 could bind to miR-508-3p. MiR-508-3p overexpression can restrain HNSCC cell growth. Importantly, miR-508-3p can target SATB homeobox 1 (SATB1) in HNSCC cells. Further, Wnt signaling pathway was proved to be activated by LINC00491 through SATB1 in HNSCC cells. In a word, LINC00491 accelerated HNSCC progression through regulating miR-508-3p/SATB1 axis and activating Wnt signaling pathway.

Circular RNA hsa_circ_0084054 promotes the progression of periodontitis with diabetes via the miR-508-3p/PTEN axis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Diabetes is an important risk factor for periodontitis, and circular RNA (circRNA) may play an important role in aggravating inflammation and accelerating disease progression by regulating miRNA/mRNA. This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of the hsa_circ_0084054/miR-508-3p/PTEN axis in the progression of periodontitis with diabetes.

METHODS

First, circRNA sequencing was used to screen the differentially expressed circRNAs of periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) treated with high glucose and/or Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vitro, and the overtly differentially expressed hsa_circ_0084054 was selected and was also verified in periodontal ligament (PDL) tissue from periodontitis patients with diabetes. Then, its ring structure was tested by Sanger sequencing, RNase R, and actinomycin D assays. The bioinformatics analysis, dual luciferase reporter assay, and RIP assay were used to explore the interaction of hsa_circ_0084054/miR-508-3p/PTEN axis, whose effects on inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis of PDLCs were evaluated through the measurement of inflammatory factors, reactive oxygen species (ROS), total superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and Annexin V/PI assay.

RESULTS

By high-throughput sequencing, it was found that hsa_circ_0084054 was significantly increased in HG + LPS group compared with control group and LPS group, which was also verified in periodontal ligament (PDL) tissue from periodontitis patients with diabetes. Silencing hsa_circ_0084054 in PDLCs decreased the expression of inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α), the levels of ROS and MDA, and the proportion of apoptotic cells; conversely, SOD activity was enhanced. In addition, we found that hsa_circ_0084054 could up-regulate the expression of PTEN through sponge miR-508-3p to inhibit AKT phosphorylation, finally trigger the aggravation of oxidative stress and inflammation in periodontitis patients with diabetes.

CONCLUSION

hsa_circ_0084054 can aggravate inflammation and promote the progression of periodontitis with diabetes by regulating miR-508-3p/PTEN signaling axis, which may serve as a new target for the intervention of periodontitis with diabetes.

Hsa_circ_0002082 up-regulates Centromere Protein F via abolishing miR-508-3p to promote breast cancer progression

BACKGROUND

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) dysregulation has been revealed to function in the pathological processes of cancers. Herein, the role and mechanisms of hsa_circ_0002082 in breast cancer (BC) progression were elucidated.

METHODS

In vivo and in vitro functional experiments were conducted, and the interaction between miR-508-3p and hsa_circ_0002082 or Centromere Protein F (CENPF) was elucidated.

RESULTS

Hsa_circ_0002082 expression was higher in BC tissues and cell lines. Functionally, knockdown of hsa_circ_0002082 induced apoptosis and suppressed proliferation and metastasis in BC cells in vitro. Mechanistically, hsa_circ_0002082 targeted miR-508-3p, which was confirmed to be decreased in BC. MiR-508-3p overexpression suppressed BC cell malignant phenotypes, moreover, inhibition of miR-508-3p attenuated the anticancer action of hsa_circ_0002082 silencing on BC cells. Besides that, miR-508-3p targeted CENPF, CENPF was highly expressed in BC, CENPF up-regulation reversed the suppressive impacts of miR-508-3p on BC cell growth and metastasis. Besides, hsa_circ_0002082 silencing impeded BC growth in nude mice.

CONCLUSION

Knockdown of hsa_circ_0002082 suppresses breast cancer growth and metastasis by miR-508-3p/CENPF axis, suggesting that hsa_circ_0002082 may be a promising target for breast cancer treatment.

LncRNA RP5-857K21.7 inhibits PDGF-BB-induced proliferation and migration of airway smooth muscle cells through the miR-508-3p/PI3K/AKT/mTOR axis

The continuous increase in the prevalence of asthma poses a threat to human health. Despites numerous researches, the understanding of asthma development still remain elusive, hindering the development of effective treatment. Here, we explored the role of lncRNA RP5-857K21.7 (RP5-857K21.7) in the development of asthma and its potential molecular mechanism of regulation. Airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) were isolated and cultured after which some of the cells were induced with PDGF-BB to build an asthma cell model, and then, qRT-PCR analysis was used to measure the expression level of RP5-857K21.7 in the cell model. Result shows that the RP5-857K21.7 is significantly downregulated in PDGF-BB-induced ASMCs cells. Through CCK-8, transwell, and flow cytometry assay, we examined the functional impact of RP5-857K21.7 on the proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of the ASMCs, respectively, and found that the overexpression of RP5-857K21.7 markedly inhibit PDGF-BB-induced ASMCs cell proliferation, migration and induce apoptosis. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that the RP5-857K21.7 could sponge miR-508-3p and result was validated through a dual-luciferase reporter assay, biotinylated RNA pull-down assay, and RIP-qRT-PCR analysis. Mechanistically, RP5-857K21.7 regulates the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway by endogenously sponging miR-508-3p to inhibit PDGF-BB-induced ASMCs cell proliferation, migration and induce apoptosis. The current research suggests that the RP5-857K21.7 and its associated molecular pathway (miR-508-3p/PI3K/AKT/mTOR axis) might be a useful therapeutic target for the treatment of asthma disease.

MiR-508-3p promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of middle ear cholesteatoma cells by targeting PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway

Cholesteatoma of the middle ear is a common disease in otolaryngology, which can lead to serious intracranial and extracranial complications. Recent studies showed that the dysregulation of microRNA may be involved in the formation of middle ear cholesteatoma. This study aimed to explore the regulatory effect of micro ribonucleic acid 508-3p (miR-508-3p) on proliferation and apoptosis of middle ear cholesteatoma cells and excavate its underlying regulatory mechanism. We found miR-508-3p expression was upregulated in tissues and cells of cholesteatoma which was inversely related to the expression of hsa_circ_0000007. Overexpression of miR-508-3p could notably facilitate cholesteatoma cell proliferation. Luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-508-3p bound the 3'-untranslated region of its downstream mRNA PTEN. Gain and loss of functions of miR-508-3p were performed to identify their roles in the biological behaviors of cholesteatoma cells, including proliferation and apoptosis. Rescue assays confirmed that PTEN could reverse the effect of miR-508-3p overexpression on cell proliferation. In a word, this study validated that the development of cholesteatoma may regulated by hsa_circ_0000007/miR-508-3p/ PTEN/ PI3K/Akt axis.

LncRNA SLCO4A1-AS1 promotes colorectal cancer cell proliferation by enhancing autophagy via miR-508-3p/PARD3 axis

Aberrant expressions of various long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been involved in the progression and pathogenesis of various carcinomas. However, the expression and biological function of SLCO4A1-AS1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain poorly understood. Gain- and loss-of-function assays were applied to determine the roles of SLCO4A1-AS1 in autophagy and CRC progression. qRT-PCR and in situ hybridization (ISH) results showed that SLCO4A1-AS1 was positively associated with PARD3 expression in CRC tissues. In vitro and in vivo studies revealed that SLCO4A1-AS1 knockdown repressed cytoprotective autophagy as assayed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and inhibited cell proliferation by directly targeting partition-defective 3 (PARD3). Mechanistically, SLCO4A1-AS1 acted as a sponge of miR-508-3p, leading to upregulation of PARD3 and promotion of CRC cell proliferation. The current study demonstrates that the SLCO4A1-AS1/miR-508-3p/PARD3/autophagy pathway play a critical role in CRC cell proliferation, and might provide novel targets for developing therapeutic strategies for CRC.

CircHIPK3 Promotes Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC) Cells Proliferation and Metastasis via Altering of miR-508-3p/CXCL13 Signal

Introduction

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a key role in the tumorigenesis of various types of cancers, including clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

Materials and Methods

Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of circRNA homeodomain interacting protein kinase 3 (circHIPK3) and microRNAs (miRNAs), including miR-508-3p. The clinical measurement of circHIPK3 was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic analysis. Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell chamber assays were performed to determine the changes in the proliferative and metastatic ability of A498 and 786-O cells. C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) protein expression was detected by Western blot analysis. The targeted binding effect between miR-508-3p and circHIPK3 or CXCL13 was confirmed by constructed luciferase and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays, respectively. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay was used to measure the subcellular localization of circHIPK3 and miR-508-3p.

Results

It was found that circHIPK3 was markedly upregulated in ccRCC tissue and cell lines, and circHIPK3-upregulation was closely correlated with poor clinicopathological features in patients with ccRCC. It was found that both miR-508-3p and circHIPK3 were localized in the cytoplasm of ccRCC cells. The up- and downregulation of circHIPK3 positively regulated ccRCC cell proliferation and metastasis, and this regulatory effect was reversed by miR-508-3p. Through luciferase and RIP assays, it was confirmed that circHIPK3 could interacted with miR-508-3p. Furthermore, it was revealed that CXCL13, which was negatively correlated with miR-508-3p, was upregulated in ccRCC. It was also shown that CXCL13 was a downstream target of miR-508-3p. miR-508-3p suppressed ccRCC cell proliferation and metastasis by targeting CXCL13. Lastly, it was demonstrated that circHIPK3 promoted CXCL13 to facilitate ccRCC cell proliferation and metastasis by decoying miR-508-3p.

Conclusion

In brief, the results of the present study showed that circHIPK3 promoted ccRCC cell proliferation and metastasis by altering miR-5083p/CXCL13 signaling. The present findings might provide a novel target for the molecular treatment of ccRCC.

LncRNA PCAT-1 Promoted ESCC Progression via Regulating ANXA10 Expression by Sponging miR-508-3p

Background

Given the poor prognosis of metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients, molecular mechanisms underlying the progression and metastasis of ESCC are highly desired in the scientific community. Prostate cancer associated transcript-1 (PCAT-1) is a lncRNA up-regulated in major types of cancers and is associated with the poor prognosis of cancer patients. This study aimed to understand the expression and role of PCAT-1 in the progression and metastasis of ESCC and to identify the potential lncRNA-miRNA interactions and signaling pathways underlying the mechanisms of action of PCAT-1 in ESCC.

Materials and Methods

Gene expression levels were determined by qRT-PCR; protein levels were determined by Western blot assay; cell proliferation, invasion and migration were determined by CCK-8, Transwell invasion and wound healing assays, respectively; in vivo tumor growth was evaluated by xenograft nude mice model.

Results

Our data showed the up-regulation of PCAT-1 in different human ESCC cell lines and in clinical ESCC tissues. Knockdown of PCAT-1 in ESCC cells significantly inhibited the proliferation, invasion and migration of the cancer cells. Moreover, we showed the interactions between PCAT-1 and miR-508-3p and demonstrated that PCAT-1 was able to repress miR-508-3p expression in ESCC cells via acting as a competing endogenous RNA. Besides, Annexin A10 (ANXA10) was identified to be the downstream target of the PCAT-1 and miR-508-3p interactions.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated the functional role of PCAT-1 in promoting the proliferation, invasion and migration of ESCC cells. We also identified a PCAT-1/miR-508-3p/ANXA10 axis in mediating the promoting role of PCAT-1 in the progression of ESCC. The findings provide experimental evidence to support lncRNA PCAT-1 as a potential therapeutic target of ESCC.