scholarly journals LncRNA UCA1 Promotes Mitochondrial Function of Bladder Cancer via the MiR-195/ARL2 Signaling Pathway

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 2548-2561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui-Jin Li ◽  
Xiao-Min Sun ◽  
Zheng-Kun Li ◽  
Qian-Wen Yin ◽  
Huan Pang ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: This study aims to identify whether Urothelial Cancer Associated 1 (UCA1) regulates mitochondrial metabolic reprogramming in bladder cancer, and to explore how UCA1 participates in mitochondrial metabolism by the UCA1/miR-195/ARL2 signaling pathway; these findings may be aid in the development of tumor diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Methods: Bladder tissues were obtained from patients. Stable cell lines were constructed, with ectopic expression of UCA1 in UMUC2 cells and knockdown of UCA1 in 5637 cells. The expression levels of UCA1, miR-195, and ARL2 were detected by real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry Cell viability was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay; mitochondrial DNA copy numbers were tested by realtime PCR; ATP level was evaluated by ATP assay kit; mitochondrial membrane potential was analyzed by 5,5’,6,6’-tetrachloro-1,1’,3,3’- tetraethylbenzimidazolylcarbocyanine iodide (JC-1) fluorescent probe. miRNAs between UCA1 and ARL2 were predicted by TargetScan and RNAHybrid, and then determined by real-time PCR. Dual-luciferase activity assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were used to verify the relationship between UCA1 and miR-195. The expression level of ARL2 was silenced by small interfering RNA(siRNA). For in vivo experiments, UCA1-silencing 5637 cells were subcutaneously injected into BALB/C nude mice to evaluate the effects of UCA1 on tumor progression by the regulation of miR-195 and ARL2. Results: We demonstrate here that UCA1 enhances mitochondrial function in bladder cancer cells. UCA1 contributes to ARL2-induced mitochondrial activity, which plays an important role in mitochondrial function. UCA1, as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA), regulates mitochondrial function through upregulating ARL2. In this way, it inhibited the miR-195 signaling pathway to enhance mitochondrial function in bladder cancer. Additionally, ARL2 is a direct target of miR-195 and can be repressed by either miR-195 overexpression or UCA1 inhibition. Knockdown of ARL2 was analogous to the inhibition of UCA1 and the upregulation of miR-195. Animal experiments further indicated that UCA1 promoted bladder tumor growth by regulating miR-195 /ARL2. Conclusion: These data suggest that UCA1 enhanced mitochondrial function and cell viability through the UCA1/miR-195/ARL2 axis in vitro and in vivo. The elucidation of this signaling network provides a more adequate theoretical basis for understanding the molecular pathology of bladder cancer, and also UCA1 as a potential diagnosis and treatment target for bladder cancer.

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yao Hu ◽  
Yu Tao ◽  
Jing Hu

AbstractCannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R) has been reported to play an important role in the regulation of pathogenesis and progression of myocardial infarction (MI). Here we tried to investigate its potential mechanisms. The ratio of infarct size in heart issue was detected by TTC staining, and cardiac functions were calculated according to echocardiographic evaluation. Cell viability in cardiomyocytes was investigated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assays. Western blot was used to detect autophagy-related proteins including Beclin-1, LC3, p62, adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-mammalian target of rapamycin rabbit (mTOR)-p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K) signaling-related proteins including AMPK, mTOR, p70S6K, and their phosphorylation formation. Rapamycin was used for the induction of autophagy. Cleaved caspase-3 and Bax were detected for analyzing apoptosis. TEM was used for the detection of autophagosomes. We found that CB2R deletion (CB2R KO) largely deteriorated the severity of MI and the cardiac function as well as cell viability of cardiomyocytes. Knocking out CB2R decreased the level of autophagy in heart issues from MI mice as well as cardiomyocytes under oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). Furthermore, CB2R dysfunction significantly attenuated the cardiac protective effects of rapamycin both in vivo and in vitro. Finally, we found that CB2R-mediated autophagy was induced by AMPK-mTOR-p70S6K signaling pathway. Our current study demonstrated for the first time that CB2R deletion led to a detrimental effect of MI through the dysfunction of AMPK-mTOR-p70S6K signaling pathway, which might provide a novel insight in the treatment of MI.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunhui Yang ◽  
shuang shi ◽  
Ying Su ◽  
jingshan tong ◽  
Liangjun Li

Abstract Background Overexpression of P2 × 7R has been observed in several tumors and is related to cancer advancement and metastasis. However, the role of P2 × 7R in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is not well understood. Methods In the current study, overexpression of P2 × 7R and the effects at the molecular and functional levels in CRC were assessed in a mouse orthotopic model. Functional assays, such as the CCK-8 assay, wound healing and transwell assay, were used to determine the biological role of P2 × 7R in CRC cells. CSC-related genes and properties were detected via sphere formation and real-time PCR assays. The underlying mechanisms were explored by Western blotting, real-time PCR and Flow cytometry. Results In this study, we found that overexpression of P2 × 7R increase in the in vivo growth of tumors. P2 × 7R overexpression also increased CD31, VEGF and concurrent angiogenesis. P2 × 7R upregulates aldehyde dehydrogenase-1 (ALDH1) and CSC characteristics. Transplanted tumor cells with P2 × 7R overexpression stimulated cytokines to recruit TAMs to increase the growth of tumors. We also found that the NF-κB signaling pathway is involved in P2 × 7R-induced cytokine upregulation. Conclusion P2 × 7R promotes NF-κB-dependent cytokine induction, which leads to tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) recruitment to control tumor growth and advancement and remodeling of the stroma. Our findings demonstrate that P2 × 7R plays a key role in TAM recruitment, which may be a therapeutic target for CRC patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Cao ◽  
Huan Deng ◽  
Hao Cui ◽  
Ruiyang Zhao ◽  
Hanghang Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Phosphoglucomutase 1 (PGM1) acts as an important regulator in glucose metabolism. However, the role of PGM1 in gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the role of PGM1 and develop novel regimens based on metabolic reprogramming in GC. Methods Correlation and enrichment analyses of PGM1 were conducted based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Data derived from the Kaplan–Meier Plotter database were analyzed to evaluate correlations between PGM1 expression and survival time of GC patients. Cell counting kit-8, 5-Ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine, flow cytometry assays, generation of subcutaneous tumor and lung metastasis mouse models were used to determine growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Cell glycolysis was detected by a battery of glycolytic indicators, including lactate, pyruvic acid, ATP production and glucose uptake. Fatty Acid Synthase (FASN) activity and expression levels of lipid enzymes were determined to reflect on lipid metabolism. Results Correlation and enrichment analyses suggested that PGM1 was closely associated with cell viability, proliferation and metabolism. PGM1 was overexpressed in GC tissues and cell lines. High PGM1 expression served as an indicator of shorter survival for specific subpopulation of GC patients. It was also correlated with pathological tumor stage and pathological tumor node metastasis stage of GC. Under the glucose deprivation condition, knockdown of PGM1 significantly suppressed cell viability, proliferation and glycolysis, whereas lipid metabolism was enhanced. Orlistat, as a drug that was designed to inhibit FASN activity, effectively induced apoptosis and suppressed lipid metabolism in GC. However, orlistat conversely increased glycolytic levels. Orlistat exhibited more significant inhibitive effects on GC progression after knockdown of PGM1 under glucose deprivation due to combination of glycolysis and lipid metabolism both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions Downregulation of PGM1 expression under glucose deprivation enhanced anti-cancer effects of orlistat. This combination application may serve as a novel strategy for GC treatment.


Author(s):  
Xinnan Wu ◽  
Ruixiao Li ◽  
Qing Song ◽  
Chengcheng Zhang ◽  
Ru Jia ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Our previous work demonstrated that lncRNA-MALAT1 was overexpressed in recurrent colorectal cancer (CRC) and metastatic sites in post-surgical patients. However, the upstream regulatory mechanism of MALAT1 is not well-defined. Histone demethylase JMJD2C holds great potential of epigenetic regulating mechanism in tumor diseases, especially the moderating effect on the promoter activity of targeted genes associated closely with tumor development. Therefore, we herein investigated whether JMJD2C could epigeneticly regulate the promoter activity of MALAT1 and the downstream β-catenin signaling pathway, thereby affecting the metastatic abilities of CRC cells. Methods JMJD2C expressions in human CRC samples were detected by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry staining. Gene silencing and overexpressing efficiencies of JMJD2C were confirmed by real-time PCR and western blot. The migration of CRC cells in vitro were tested by transwell and wound healing assays. The protein expression and cellular localization of JMJD2C and β-catenin were characterized by immunofluorescence staining and western blot. The histone methylation level of MALAT1 promoter region (H3K9me3 and H3K36me3) was tested by ChIP-PCR assays. The promoter activity of MALAT1 was detected by luciferase reporter assay. The expressions of MALAT1 and the downstream β-catenin signaling pathway related genes in CRC cells were detected by real-time PCR and western blot, respectively. The nude mice tail vein metastasis model was established to observe the effect of JMJD2C on the lung metastasis of CRC cells in vivo. Results Our present results indicated that histone demethylase JMJD2C was overexpressed in matched CRC tumor tissues of primary and metastatic foci, and CRC patients with lower JMJD2C expression in primary tumors had better prognosis with longer OS (Overall Survival). The following biological function observation suggested that JMJD2C promoted CRC metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Further molecular mechanism investigation demonstrated that JMJD2C protein translocated into the nuclear, lowered the histone methylation level of MALAT1 promoter in the sites of H3K9me3 and H3K36me3, up-regulated the expression of MALAT1, and enhanced the β-catenin signaling pathway in CRC cells. Conclusion Our data demonstrated that JMJD2C could enhance the metastatic abilities of CRC cells in vitro and in vivo by regulating the histone methylation level of MALAT1 promoter, thereby up-regulating the expression of MALAT1 and enhancing the activity of β-catenin signaling pathway, providing that JMJD2C might be a novel therapeutic target for CRC metastasis.


Open Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1010-1021
Author(s):  
Jiangbo Zhu ◽  
Fei Zhang

Abstract Background Bladder cancer is a common malignancy in the world. It is reported that circular RNA VANGL1 (circ_VANGL1) was involved in bladder cancer progression. However, the functional role and molecular mechanism of circ_VANGL1 in bladder cancer were still unclear. Methods The levels of circ_VANGL1, microRNA-145-5p (miR-145-5p), and Sex-determining region Y-related high-mobility group box 4 (SOX4) in bladder cancer tissues and cells were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain (RT-qPCR). The relative protein expression was detected by western blot. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and flow cytometry analysis were used to measure cell viability, IC50 value, and apoptosis rate. The interaction between miR-145-5p and circ_VANGL1 or SOX4 was predicted by online software starBase v2.0 or Targetscan and verified by the dual-luciferase reporter assay. Besides, xenograft mice model was used to detect the effects of circ_VANGL1 in vivo. Results The level of circ_VANGL1 and SOX4 was increased, while miR-145-5p was decreased in bladder cancer tissues and cells. Knockdown of circ_VANGL1 suppressed viability, while promoted apoptosis and increased doxorubicin sensitivity in bladder cancer cells. Moreover, circ_VANGL1 acted as a sponge for miR-145-5p. In addition, miR-145-5p partially reversed the effects of miR-145-5p knockdown in T24 and J82 cells. SOX4 was a target of miR-145-5p and negatively regulated by miR-145-5p. Furthermore, miR-145-5p regulated SOX4 to affect cell progression in bladder cancer cells, including viability, apoptosis, and doxorubicin sensitivity. Besides, circ_VANGL1 suppressed tumor growth and enhanced the doxorubicin sensitivity in bladder cancer in vivo. Conclusion circ_VANGL1 mediated cell viability, apoptosis, and doxorubicin sensitivity by regulating miR-145-5p/SOX4 axis in bladder cancer, providing a potential therapeutic target for bladder cancer therapy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dandan Chai ◽  
Huifen Du ◽  
Kesheng Li ◽  
Xueliang Zhang ◽  
Xiaoqin Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Ectopic expression of CDX2 is associated with the development and progression of gastric cancer. Previous studies showed that CDX2 may be an upstream regulator of Reg IV expression in gastric cancer, and our previous report showed that Reg IV upregulated SOX9 expression and enhanced cell migration and invasion in gastric cancer cells. However, the regulatory roles of CDX2 have not been clarified in gastric cancer, and the correlation between CDX2 and Reg IV requires further study. Methods CDX2 and Reg IV were examined in gastric cancer specimens and paired adjacent tissues via real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The association between CDX2 and Reg IV was assessed using the χ2-test and Spearman’s rank correlation. To verify their relationship, knockdown and exogenous expression of CDX2 or Reg IV were performed in AGS and MKN-45 gastric cancer cells, and their expression was subsequently analyzed via a real-time PCR and western blotting. Wound-healing and Transwell assays were used to examine migration and invasion in AGS and MKN-45 cells following CDX2 silencing or overexpression. Results A positive correlation was observed between CDX2 and Reg IV expression at the mRNA and protein levels in gastric cancer tissues. CDX2 silencing significantly downregulated Reg IV expression, and CDX2 overexpression significantly upregulated Reg IV expression in AGS and MKN-45 cells. Neither Reg IV silencing nor overexpression had any effect on CDX2 protein expression in AGS or MKN-45 cells, even though both affected the expression of CDX2 mRNA. Functionally, CDX2 silencing significantly inhibited cell migration and invasion, and CDX2 overexpression significantly promoted cell migration and invasion in AGS and MKN-45 cells. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that CDX2 expression was positively correlated with that of Reg IV in gastric cancer, and CDX2 promoted cell migration and invasion through upregulation of Reg IV expression in AGS and MKN-45 cells.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 284-295
Author(s):  
Yongtian Zhang ◽  
Dandan Zhao ◽  
Shumei Li ◽  
Meng Xiao ◽  
Hongjing Zhou ◽  
...  

AbstractMultiple myeloma (MM) is a serious health issue in hematological malignancies. Long non-coding RNA taurine-upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) has been reported to be highly expressed in the plasma of MM patients. However, the functions of TUG1 in MM tumorigenesis along with related molecular basis are still undefined. In this study, increased TUG1 and decreased microRNA-34a-5p (miR-34a-5p) levels in MM tissues and cells were measured by the real-time quantitative polymerase reaction assay. The expression of relative proteins was determined by the Western blot assay. TUG1 knockdown suppressed cell viability, induced cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis in MM cells, as shown by Cell Counting Kit-8 and flow cytometry assays. Bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter assay, and RNA pull-down assay indicated that miR-34a-5p was a target of TUG1 and directly bound to notch receptor 1 (NOTCH1), and TUG1 regulated the NOTCH1 expression by targeting miR-34a-5p. The functions of miR-34a-5p were abrogated by TUG1 upregulation. Moreover, TUG1 loss impeded MM xenograft tumor growth in vivo by upregulating miR-34a-5p and downregulating NOTCH1. Furthermore, TUG1 depletion inhibited the expression of Hes-1, Survivin, and Bcl-2 protein in MM cells and xenograft tumors. TUG1 knockdown inhibited MM tumorigenesis by regulating the miR-34a-5p/NOTCH1 signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo, deepening our understanding of the TUG1 function in MM.


Author(s):  
Zhongwei Zhao ◽  
Jingjing Song ◽  
Bufu Tang ◽  
Shiji Fang ◽  
Dengke Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Emerging evidence suggests that circular RNAs play critical roles in disease development especially in cancers. Previous genome-wide RNA-seq studies found that a circular RNA derived from SOD2 gene was highly upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, the role of circSOD2 in HCC remains largely unknown. Methods The expression profiling of circSOD2 and microRNA in HCC patients were assessed by Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). SiRNA or CRISPR-CAS9 were used to silence gene expression. The biological function of circSOD2 in HCC was investigated using in vitro and in vivo studies including, trans-well cell migration, cell apoptosis, cell cycle, CCK8, siRNA interference, western blots, and xenograft mouse model. The underlying molecular mechanism was determined by Chromatin Immunoprecipitation quantitative real time PCR (ChIP-qPCR), bioinformatic analysis, biotin-pull down, RNA immunoprecipitation, 5-mc DNA pulldown and luciferase assays. Results In accordance with previous sequencing results, here, we demonstrated that circSOD2 was highly expressed in HCC tumor tissues compared with normal liver tissues. Mechanically, we showed that histone writer EP300 and WDR5 bind to circSOD2 promoter and trigger its promoter H3K27ac and H3K4me3 modification, respectively, which further activates circSOD2 expression. SiRNA mediated circSOD2 suppression impaired liver cancer cell growth, cell migration, prohibited cell cycle progression and in vivo tumor growth. By acting as a sponge, circSOD2 inhibits miR-502-5p expression and rescues miR-502-5p target gene DNMT3a expression. As a DNA methyltransferase, upregulated DNMA3a suppresses SOCS3 expression by increasing SOCS3 promoter DNA methylation. This event further accelerates SOCS3 downstream JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway activation. In addition, we also found that activated STAT3 regulates circSOD2 expression in a feedback way. Conclusion The novel signaling axis circSOD2/miR-502-5p/DNMT3a/JAK2/STAT3/circSOD2 provides a better understanding of HCC tumorigenesis. The molecular mechanism underlying this signaling axis offers new prevention and treatment of HCC.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Liu ◽  
Pin Lv ◽  
Xiang Rao ◽  
Jiajia Wang

Abstract PurposeIntestinal fibrosis is an incurable digestive disease accompanied by stricture formation, and it has an increasing incidence in recent years. Periplaneta americana is one of the medicinal insects with a long history. There are few reports on the effect of intestinal fibrosis. This study aims to evaluate the inhibitory effect of PA treatment on intestinal fibrosis. MethodsTNBS was used to establish intestinal fibrosis model by enema in BALB/c mice. The mice were treated with PA (50, 100, 200 mg/kg body weight) and 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) (40mg/kg) by gavage once a day for 6 weeks. At the end of the last week, the mice were sacrificed. Colon samples were collected for H&E and Masson staining. The mRNA and protein expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen I and the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) / Smad signaling pathway were conducted by real-time PCR and western blot analysis. In vitro, TGF-β1 was used to induce intestinal fibrosis at human colon fibroblasts (CCD-18Co). And using real-time PCR and western blot methods to detect the expression of α-SMA and collagen I. ResultsPA inhibited the expression of α-SMA and collagen I in vivo and in vitro. But the difference was that PA inhibited the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway in vivo, and the same results had not been obtained in vitro. Conclusion: PA may attenuate intestinal fibrosis by inhibiting TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway, but more experiments were needed to prove it in vitro. ConclusionsPA has potential pharmacological effects in inhibiting intestinal fibrosis, and the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway seemed promising.


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