scholarly journals The POU2F1/miR-4490/USP22 axis regulates cell proliferation and metastasis in gastric cancer

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 1017-1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yizhi Xiao ◽  
Side Liu ◽  
Jiaying Li ◽  
Weiyu Dai ◽  
Weimei Tang ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Growing evidence indicates that aberrant expression of microRNAs contributes to tumor development. However, the biological role of microRNA-4490 (miR-4490) in gastric cancer (GC) remains to be clarified. Methods To explore the function of miR-4490 in GC, we performed colony formation, EdU incorporation, qRT-PCR, Western blotting, in situ hybridization (ISH), immunohistochemistry (IHC), flow cytometry, ChIP and dual-luciferase reporter assays. In addition, the growth, migration and invasion capacities of GC cells were evaluated. Results We found that miR-4490 was significantly downregulated in primary GC samples and in GC-derived cell lines compared with normal controls, and that this expression level was negatively correlated with GC malignancy. Exogenous miR-4490 expression not only reduced cell cycle progression and proliferation, but also significantly inhibited GC cell migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro. Mechanistically, we found that miR-4490 directly targets USP22, which mediates inhibition of GC cell proliferation and EMT-induced metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we found through luciferase and ChIP assays that transcription factor POU2F1 can directly bind to POU2F1 binding sites within the miR-4490 and USP22 promoters and, by doing so, modulate their transcription. Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between USP22 and POU2F1 expression and negative correlations between miR-4490 and USP22 as well as miR-4490 and POU2F1 expression in primary GC tissues. Conclusion Based on our results we conclude that miR-4490 acts as a tumor suppressor, and that the POU2F1/miR-4490/USP22 axis plays an important role in the regulation of growth, invasion and EMT of GC cells.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Jiajia Jiang ◽  
Rong Li ◽  
Junyi Wang ◽  
Jie Hou ◽  
Hui Qian ◽  
...  

Circular RNA CDR1as has been demonstrated to participate in various cancer progressions as miRNA sponges. The exact underlying mechanisms of CDR1as on gastric cancer (GC) metastasis remain unknown. Here, we found that CDR1as knockdown facilitated GC cell migration and invasion while its overexpression inhibited the migration and invasion abilities of GC cells in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, epithelial-mesenchymal transition- (EMT-) associated proteins and MMP2 and MMP9 were downregulated by CDR1as. Bioinformatics analysis combined with dual-luciferase reporter gene assays, western blot, RT-qPCR analysis, and functional rescue experiments demonstrated that CDR1as served as a miR-876-5p sponge and upregulated the target gene GNG7 expression to suppress GC metastasis. In summary, our findings indicate that CDR1as suppresses GC metastasis through the CDR1as/miR-876-5p/GNG7 axis.


Open Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-116
Author(s):  
Xiaobo Chen ◽  
Hongwen Sun ◽  
Yunping Zhao ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Guosheng Xiong ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate the circ_0004370 expression in EC, its effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, and the underlying regulatory mechanisms in EC.MethodsThe protein levels of COL1A1 and EMT-related proteins were detected by western blot. The role of circ_0004370 on cell viability, proliferation, and apoptosis was analyzed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. The transwell assay was used to examine cell migration and invasion. The binding sites between miR-1301-3p and circ_0004370 or COL1A1 were predicted by starbase software and confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay.ResultsWe discovered that circ_0004370 was remarkably upregulated in EC tissues and cells. Knockdown of circ_0004370 inhibited cell proliferation, migration as well as invasion, and promoted apoptosis in vitro, while its effect was rescued by miR-1301-3p inhibition. And circ_0004370 mediated the EMT process in EC cells. Moreover, we explored its regulatory mechanism and found that circ_0004370 directly bound to miR-1301-3p and COL1A1 was verified as a target of miR-1301-3p. COL1A1 was highly expressed in EC cells and upregulation of COL1A1 reversed the effects of miR-1301-3p on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. In addition, silencing of circ_0004370 reduced tumor volumes and weights in vivo. We showed that circ_0004370/miR-1301-3p/COL1A1 axis played the critical role in EC to regulate the cell activities.ConclusionCirc_0004370 promotes EC proliferation, migration and invasion, and EMT process and suppresses apoptosis by regulating the miR-1301-3p/COL1A1 axis, indicating that circ_0004370 may be used as a potential therapeutic target for EC.


2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 1025-1036 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dehu Chen ◽  
Guiyuan Liu ◽  
Ning Xu ◽  
Xiaolan You ◽  
Haihua Zhou ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Gastric cancer (GC) is a common and lethal malignancy, and AMP-activated protein kinase-related kinase 5 (ARK5) has been discovered to promote cancer metastasis in certain types of cancer. In this study, we explored the role of ARK5 in GC invasion and metastasis. Methods: ARK5 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related markers were determined by immunohistochemistry and western blot in GC specimens. Other methods including stably transfected against ARK5 into SGC7901 and AGS cells, western blot, migration and invasion assays in vitro and nude mice tumorigenicity in vivo were also employed. Results: The results demonstrated that ARK5 expression was increased and positively correlated with metastasis, EMT-related markers and poor prognosis in patients with GC. Knockdown of ARK5 expression remarkably suppressed GC cells invasion and metastasis via regulating EMT, rather than proliferation in vitro and in vivo. And knockdown of ARK5 expression in GC cells resulted in the down-regulation of the mTOR/p70S6k signals, Slug and SIP1. Conclusion: The elevated ARK5 expression was closely associated with cancer metastasis and patient survival, and it seemed to function in GC cells migration and invasion via EMT alteration, together with the alteration of the mTOR/p70S6k signals, Slug and SIP1, thus providing a potential therapeutic target for GC.


2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 1928-1941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuan He ◽  
Zhigang Liu ◽  
Li Jin ◽  
Fang Zhang ◽  
Xinhao Peng ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: MicroRNA-142-3p (miR-142-3p) is dysregulated in many malignancies and may function as a tumor suppressor or oncogene in tumorigenesis and tumor development. However, few studies have investigated the clinical significance and biological function of miR-142-3p in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: The expression levels of taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1), miR-142-3p, and zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) were evaluated in HCC tissues and cell lines by quantitative real-time PCR. MTT and colony formation assays were used to detect cell proliferation ability, transwell assays were used to assess cell migration and invasion, and luciferase reporter assays were used to examine the interaction between the long noncoding RNA TUG1 and miR-142-3p. Tumor formation was evaluated through in vivo experiments. Results: miR-142-3p was significantly downregulated in HCC tissues, but TUG1 was upregulated in HCC tissues. Knockdown of TUG1 and upregulation of miR-142-3p inhibited cell proliferation, cell migration, cell invasion, and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). miR-142-3p was found to be a prognostic factor of HCC, and the mechanism by which TUG1 upregulated ZEB1 was via direct binding to miR-142-3p. In vivo assays showed that TUG1 knockdown suppressed cell proliferation and the EMT in nude mice. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the TUG1/miR-142-3p/ ZEB1 axis contributes to the formation of malignant behaviors in HCC.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeting Hong ◽  
Wei He ◽  
Jianbin Zhang ◽  
Lu Shen ◽  
Chong Yu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Cyclin D3-CDK6 complex is a component of the core cell cycle machinery that regulates cell proliferation. By using Human Protein Atlas database, a higher expression level of this complex was found in gastric cancer. However, the function of this complex in gastric cancer remain poorly understood. This study aims to determine the expression pattern of this complex in gastric cancer and to investigate its biological role during tumorigenesis.Methods: To demonstrate that Cyclin D3-CDK6 regulate the c-Myc/miR-15a/16 axis in a feedback loop in gastric cancer, a series of methods were conducted both in vitro and in vivo experiments, including qRT-PCR, western blot analysis, EdU assay, flow cytometry, luciferase reporter assay and immunohistochemical staining. SPSS and Graphpad prism software were used for data analysis.Results: In this study, we found that Cyclin D3 and CDK6 were significantly upregulated in gastric cancer and correlated with poorer overall survival. Further study proved that this complex significantly promoted cell proliferation and cell cycle progression in vitro and accelerated xenografted tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, we explored the molecular mechanisms through which the complex mediated Rb phosphorylation and then promoted c-Myc expression in vitro, we also found c-Myc could suppress miR-15a/16 expression in gastric cancer cell. Finally, we found that miR-15a/16 can simultaneously regulate Cyclin D3 and CDK6 expression as direct target genes.Conclusions: Our findings uncover the Cyclin D3-CDK6/c-Myc/miR-15a/16 feedback loop axis as a pivotal role in the regulation of gastric cancer tumorigenesis, and this regulating axis may provide a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer treatment.


Author(s):  
Zhao-Ming Xiao ◽  
Dao-Jun Lv ◽  
Yu-zhong Yu ◽  
Chong Wang ◽  
Tao Xie ◽  
...  

BackgroundSWI/SNF-related, matrix-associated, actin-dependent regulator of chromatin subfamily C member 1 (SMARCC1) protein is a potential tumor suppressor in various cancers. However, its role in prostate cancer (PCa) remains controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the biological function of SMARCC1 in PCa and explore the underlying regulatory mechanisms.MethodsThe expression of SMARCC1 was validated in PCa tissues by immunohistochemistry. Meanwhile, function experiments were used to evaluate the regulatory role on cell proliferation and metastasis in PCa cells with SMARCC1 depletion both in vitro and in vivo. The expression levels of relevant proteins were detected by Western blotting.ResultsOur finding showed that SMARCC1 was significantly downregulated in prostate adenocarcinoma, with a higher Gleason score (GS) than that in low GS. The decreased expression of SMARCC1 was significantly correlated with a higher GS and poor prognosis. Additionally, we found that silencing of SMARCC1 dramatically accelerated cell proliferation by promoting cell cycle progression and enhancing cell migration by inducing epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, depletion of SMARCC1 facilitated PCa xenograft growth and lung metastasis in murine models. Mechanistically, the loss of SMARCC1 activated the PI3K/AKT pathway in PCa cells.ConclusionSMARCC1 suppresses PCa cell proliferation and metastasis via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and is a novel therapeutic target.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawei Wang ◽  
Guoliang Lu ◽  
Yuan Shao ◽  
Da Xu

miRNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs that exert critical roles in various biological processes. The aim of the present study was to identify the functional roles of miR-802 in regulating epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in prostate cancer (PCa). miR-802 expression was detected in 73 pairs of PCa samples and PCa cell lines (PC3 and DU145 cells) by qRT-PCR. Cell proliferation was detected using MTT assay, and cell apoptosis was evaluated using flow cytometry. Transwell assay was conducted to investigate cell migration and invasion. Expression analysis of a set of EMT markers was performed to explore whether miR-802 is involved in EMT program. Xenograft model was established to investigate the function of miR-802 in carcinogenesis in vivo. The direct regulation of Flotillin-2 (Flot2) by miR-802 was identified using luciferase reporter assay. miR-802 was remarkably down-regulated in PCa tissues and cell lines. Gain-of-function trails showed that miR-802 serves as an ‘oncosuppressor’ in PCa through inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting cell apoptosis in vitro. Overexpression of miR-802 significantly suppressed in vivo PCa tumor growth. Luciferase reporter analysis identified Flot2 as a direct target of miR-802 in PCa cells. Overexpressed miR-802 significantly suppressed EMT, migration and invasion in PCa cells by regulating Flot2. We identified miR-802 as a novel tumor suppressor in PCa progression and elucidated a novel mechanism of the miR-802/Flot2 axis in the regulation of EMT, which may be a potential therapeutic target.


2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping He ◽  
Xiaojie Jin

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of SOX10 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods: The expression of SOX10 was initially assessed in human NPC tissues and a series of NPC cell lines through quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. Then, cell proliferation, cycle, migration, and the invasiveness of NPC cells with knockdown of SOX10 were examined by MTT, flow cytometry, and Transwell migration and invasion assays, respectively. Finally, nude mice tumorigenicity experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of SOX10 on NPC growth and metastasis in vivo. Results: SOX10 was significantly increased in NPC tissues and cell lines. In-vitro experiments revealed that loss of SOX10 obviously inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasiveness, as well as the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in NPC cells. In-vivo experiments further demonstrated that disrupted SOX10 expression restrained NPC growth and metastasis, especially in lung and liver. Conclusion: Taken together, our data confirmed the role of SOX10 as an oncogene in NPC progression, and revealed that SOX10 may serve as a novel biomarker for diagnosis of NPC, as well as a potential therapeutic target against this disease.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Yue ◽  
Chenlong Song ◽  
Linxi Yang ◽  
Ran Cui ◽  
Xingwang Cheng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background As one of the most frequent chemical modifications in eukaryotic mRNAs, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification exerts important effects on mRNA stability, splicing, and translation. Recently, the regulatory role of m6A in tumorigenesis has been increasingly recognized. However, dysregulation of m6A and its functions in tumor epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis remain obscure. Methods qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate the expression of methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) in gastric cancer (GC). The effects of METTL3 on GC metastasis were investigated through in vitro and in vivo assays. The mechanism of METTL3 action was explored through transcriptome-sequencing, m6A-sequencing, m6A methylated RNA immunoprecipitation quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (MeRIP qRT-PCR), confocal immunofluorescent assay, luciferase reporter assay, co-immunoprecipitation, RNA immunoprecipitation and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Results Here, we show that METTL3, a major RNA N6-adenosine methyltransferase, was upregulated in GC. Clinically, elevated METTL3 level was predictive of poor prognosis. Functionally, we found that METTL3 was required for the EMT process in vitro and for metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, we unveiled the METTL3-mediated m6A modification profile in GC cells for the first time and identified zinc finger MYM-type containing 1 (ZMYM1) as a bona fide m6A target of METTL3. The m6A modification of ZMYM1 mRNA by METTL3 enhanced its stability relying on the “reader” protein HuR (also known as ELAVL1) dependent pathway. In addition, ZMYM1 bound to and mediated the repression of E-cadherin promoter by recruiting the CtBP/LSD1/CoREST complex, thus facilitating the EMT program and metastasis. Conclusions Collectively, our findings indicate the critical role of m6A modification in GC and uncover METTL3/ZMYM1/E-cadherin signaling as a potential therapeutic target in anti-metastatic strategy against GC.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 5710
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Zhang ◽  
Tingyu Li ◽  
Ya-Nan Han ◽  
Minghui Ge ◽  
Pei Wang ◽  
...  

Metastasis contributes to the poor prognosis of colorectal cancer, the causative factor of which is not fully understood. Previously, we found that miR-125b (Accession number: MIMAT0000423) contributed to cetuximab resistance in colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we identified a novel mechanism by which miR-125b enhances metastasis by targeting cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and the tight junction-associated adaptor cingulin (CGN) in CRC. We found that miR-125b expression was upregulated in primary CRC tumors and metastatic sites compared with adjacent normal tissues. Overexpression of miR-125b in CRC cells enhanced migration capacity, while knockdown of miR-125b decreased migration and invasion. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and dual-luciferase reporter assays identified CFTR and CGN as the target genes of miR-125b, and the inhibitory impact of CFTR and CGN on metastasis was further verified both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we found that miR-125b facilitated the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and the expression and secretion of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) by targeting CFTR and enhanced the Ras Homolog Family Member A (RhoA)/Rho Kinase (ROCK) pathway activity by targeting CGN. Together, these findings suggest miR-125b as a key functional molecule in CRC and a promising biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of CRC.


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