MiR-151a-3p Promotes Postmenopausal Osteoporosis by Targeting SOCS5 and Activating JAK2/STAT3 Signaling

Postmenopausal osteoporosis, the most common type of primary osteoporosis, poses a significant threat to women's health worldwide. However, detailed molecular mechanism and therapeutic strategy for postmenopausal osteoporosis remain insufficient. Increasing evidence suggests that microRNAs contributed to the pathogenesis of osteoporosis and could be considered as potential therapeutic targets. In this study, we found that miR-151a-3p was upregulated in osteoporosis samples. Experiments in MC3T3-E1 cells indicated that miR-151a-3p significantly inhibited cell viability and promoted lactate dehydrogenase release, as well as increased RANKL/OPG ratio and decreased Runx2 and BMP2 expressions. SOCS5 was identified as a direct target gene of miR-151a-3p, which was confirmed by luciferase reporter assay. Moreover, an inverse correlation between miR-151a-3p and SOCS5 was observed in osteoporosis femurs. In addition, JAK2/STAT3 pathway was found to be involved in the progress of osteoporosis mediated by miR-151a-3p-SOCS5 axis. In vivo, ovariectomized (OVX) rat model was established to simulate postmenopausal osteoporosis. The results revealed that miR-151a-3p significantly decreased the bone mineral density and biomechanical parameters of femurs in OVX rats by targeting SOCS5, and that JAK2/STAT3 pathway is a downstream target of miR-151a-3p-SOCS5 axis in OVX rats. In conclusion, our findings suggested that miR-151a-3p contributed to the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis, and promoted its progress by targeting SOCS5 and activating JAK2/STAT3 signaling. Thus, anti-miR-151a-3p could be a potential therapeutic strategy for postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Circ_0005075 targeting miR-151a-3p promotes neuropathic pain in CCI rats via inducing NOTCH2 expression

Neuropathic pain is a most challenging diseases worldwide, caused by the injury of nerve system. CircularRNAs (circRNAs) are revealed to be involved in various diseases, includingneuropathic pain. However, the waycircRNAsparticipate in the progress ofneuropathic painstill needs further study. Identifyingthe possible circRNAexpression patterns of neuropathic painis of great significance to understand its underlying mechanism. Previously, circ_0005075 has been regarded as an important oncogene in multiple cancers and it has been characterized as an inflammation‑associated circRNA in various processes. Nevertheless, the functional role of circ_0005075 in neuropathic pain development is still poorly known. In our present study, we observed circ_0005075 was obviously increased in CCI rat models. Knockdown of circ_0005075 repressed thebehaviors of neuropathic pain including mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. Moreover, loss of circ_0005075 could repress the neuroinflammation via targeting COX-2, IL-6 and TNF-α whereas inducing IL-10 in vivo. Additionally, we predicted miR-151a-3p as the potential target of circ_0005075 using bioinformatics analysis. We displayed that miR-151a-3p was greatly reduced in CCI rats and circ_0005075 reversed the repressive effect of miR-151a-3p on neuropathic pain. For another, NOTCH2 has been shown to induce a variety of intracellular responses correlated withneuropathic pain. Here, we found NOTCH2 expression was strongly induced in CCI rats and miR-151a-3p. In addition, circ_0005075 significantly rescued NOTCH2 expression, which could be repressed by miR-151a-3p. To sum up, we indicated that loss ofcirc_0005075relieved neuropathic pain progression by inducement of miR-151a-3p and inactivation of NOTCH2 signaling.

MicroRNA-Mediated Regulation of ITGB3 and CHL1 Is Implicated in SSRI Action

Background: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant drugs are the first-line of treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) but are effective in <70% of patients. Our earlier genome-wide studies indicated that two genes encoding for cell adhesion proteins, close homolog of L1 (CHL1) and integrin beta-3 (ITGB3), and microRNAs, miR-151a-3p and miR-221/222, are implicated in the variable sensitivity and response of human lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) from unrelated individuals to SSRI drugs.

Methods: The microRNAs miR-221, miR-222, and miR-151-a-3p, along with their target gene binding sites, were explored in silico using miRBase, TargetScan, microRNAviewer, and the UCSC Genome Browser. Luciferase reporter assays were conducted for demonstrating the direct functional regulation of ITGB3 and CHL1 expression by miR-221/222 and miR-151a-3p, respectively. A human LCL exhibiting low sensitivity to paroxetine was utilized for studying the phenotypic effect of CHL1 regulation by miR-151a-3p on SSRI response.

Results: By showing direct regulation of CHL1 and ITGB3 by miR-151a-3p and miR-221/222, respectively, we link these microRNAs and genes with cellular SSRI sensitivity phenotypes. We report that miR-151a-3p increases cell sensitivity to paroxetine via down-regulating CHL1 expression.

Conclusions: miR-151a-3p, miR-221/222 and their (here confirmed) respective target-genes, CHL1 and ITGB3, are implicated in SSRI responsiveness, and possibly in the clinical response to antidepressant drugs.

Circulating microRNA signatures serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers for Helicobacter pylori infection

Helicobacter pylor (H pylori), a Gram-negative, microaerobic human pathogen, has been found to be involved in many gastroduodenal diseases. Accurate diagnosis of H pylori infection is a vital part of the effective management of gastroduodenal diseases. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have shown the potential to be used as noninvasive biomarkers for the diagnosis of infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to explore plasma miRNAs as noninvasive biomarkers for H pylori infection. We performed a plasma miRNA expression profile using Illumina high-throughput sequencing and validated the levels of differentially expressed miRNAs in the plasma of 63 H pylori-infected patients and 41 healthy volunteers by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The sequencing results showed that 37 miRNAs were upregulated in the H pylori-infected patients compared with that in the healthy volunteers, while six miRNAs were downregulated. qRT-PCR and receiver operator characteristic analysis suggested that the expression of miR-28-3p, miR-143-3p, miR-151a-3p, and miR-148a-3p were closely associated with H pylori infection. Therefore, the four plasma miRNA panels mentioned above could serve as promising noninvasive biomarkers of H pylori infection.

Dysregulated Urinary Extracellular Vesicle Small RNAs in Diabetic Nephropathy: Implications for Diagnosis and Therapy

Background

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) represents a major chronic kidney disorder and a leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Small RNAs have been showing great promise as diagnostic markers as well as drug targets. Identifying dysregulated micro RNAs (miRNAs) could help in identifying disease biomarkers and investigation of downstream interactions, shedding light on the molecular pathophysiology of DN. In this study, we analyzed small RNAs within human urinary extracellular vesicles (ECVs) from DN patients using small RNA next-generation sequencing.

Method

In this cross-sectional study, urine samples were collected from 88 participants who were divided into 3 groups: type 2 diabetes (T2D) with DN (T2D + DN, n = 20), T2D without DN (T2D - DN, n = 40), and healthy individuals (n = 28). The study focused on isolating urinary ECVs to extract and sequence small RNAs. Differentially expressed small RNAs were identified, and a functional enrichment analysis was conducted.

Results

The study revealed a distinct subset of 13 miRNAs and 10 Piwi-interacting RNAs that were significantly dysregulated in urinary ECVs of the DN group when compared to other groups. Notably, miR-151a-3p and miR-182-5p exhibited a unique expression pattern, being downregulated in the T2D - DN group, and upregulated in the T2D + DN group, thus demonstrating their effectiveness in distinguishing patients between the 2 groups. Eight driver genes were identified PTEN, SMAD2, SMAD4, VEGFA, CCND2, CDK6, LIN28B, and CHD1.

Conclusion

Our findings contribute valuable insights into the pathogenesis of DN, uncovering novel biomarkers and identifying potential therapeutic targets that may aid in managing and potentially decelerating the progression of the disease.

Long Non-Coding RNA SNHG3 Promotes the Progression of Cholangiocarcinoma by Regulating the miR-151a-3p/STAT5a Axis

Background/Aims

Studies have shown the significance of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the development of malignant tumors, including cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). However, the molecular mechanisms through which the lncRNA SNHG3 contributes to CCA development remain unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to investigate SNHG3's role and possible processes in CCA.

Materials and Methods

CCK-8, TUNEL, wound healing, and transwell assays were performed to evaluate the viability, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of CCA cells, respectively. Dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays were conducted to verify the relationship between SNHG3 and miR-151a-3p and that between STAT5a and miR-151a-3p.

Results

SNHG3 and STAT5a were considerably upregulated and miR-151a-3p was downregulated in CCA tissues and cells. SNHG3 knockdown suppressed the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasive ability of HUCC-T1 cells. Mechanistically, SNHG3 directly targeted miR-151a-3p to promote the development of CCA. Treatment with a miR-151a-3p inhibitor reversed the effects of SNHG3 knockdown on the aggressive behavior of HUCC-T1 cells. Furthermore, STAT5a knockdown counteracted the effects of inhibition of SNHG3 and miR-151a-3p on the aggressive behavior of CAA.

Conclusion

SNHG3 promotes CCA progression via the miR-151a-3p/STAT5a axis, providing novel insights into the clinical treatment of CCA.