scholarly journals Circular RNA hsa_circ_0004872 inhibits gastric cancer progression via the miR-224/Smad4/ADAR1 successive regulatory circuit

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cunying Ma ◽  
Xiaoying Wang ◽  
Fenghua Yang ◽  
Yichen Zang ◽  
Jiansong Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Emerging evidence has shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a crucial regulatory role in the occurrence and development of cancer. Exploring the roles and mechanisms of circRNAs in tumorigenesis and progression may help to identify new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets. In the present study, we investigated the role and regulatory mechanism of hsa_circ_0004872 in gastric cancer (GC). Methods qRT-PCR was used to determine the expression of hsa_circ_0004872 in GC tissues and cells. EdU, CCK-8, transwell and scratch wound healing assays were used to assess the role of hsa_circ_0004872 in GC cell proliferation, invasion and migration, respectively. Subcutaneous and tail vein tumor injections in nude mice were used to assess the role of hsa_circ_0004872 in vivo. RIP assay, biotin-coupled probe pull-down assay, FISH and luciferase reporter assay were performed to confirm the relationship between hsa_circ_0004872 and the identified miRNA. ChIP assay, luciferase reporter assay and western blot were used to determine the direct binding of Smad4 to the promoter of the ADAR1 gene. Results In this study, we found that hsa_circ_0004872 was dramatically downregulated in GC tissues compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues. The expression level of hsa_circ_0004872 was associated with tumor size and local lymph node metastasis. Enforced expression of hsa_circ_0004872 inhibited the proliferation, invasion and migration of GC cells, whereas knockdown of hsa_circ_0004872 had the opposite effects. Nude mice experiments showed that ectopic expression of hsa_circ_0004872 dramatically inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Moreover, we demonstrated that hsa_circ_0004872 acted as a “molecular sponge” for miR-224 to upregulate the expression of the miR-224 downstream targets p21 and Smad4. Importantly, we found that the RNA-editing enzyme ADAR1 inhibited hsa_circ_0004872 expression and further led to the upregulation of miR-224. Smad4, the downstream target of miR-224, could further affect hsa_circ_0004872 levels by directly binding to the promoter region of ADAR1 to inhibit ADAR1 expression. Conclusions Our findings showed that hsa_circ_0004872 acted as a tumor suppressor in GC by forming a negative regulatory loop consisting of hsa_circ_0004872/miR-224/Smad4/ADAR1. Thus, hsa_circ_0004872 may serve as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for GC.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengcheng Li ◽  
Junhui Xing ◽  
Jianwu Jiang ◽  
Xinyu Tian ◽  
Xuemeng Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common malignant tumor in the head and neck that is characterized by high local malignant invasion and distant metastasis. miR-18a-5p reportedly plays an important role in tumorigenesis and development. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying miR-18a-5p’s role in NPC.Methods:Quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of miR-18a-5p in NPC tissues and cell lines. MTT assay and plate clone formation assay were used to detect the effect of miR-18a-5p on NPC cell proliferation. Woundhealing assays and Transwell assays were used to detect the effect of miR-18a-5p on NPC cell invasion and migration. The expressions of epithelialmesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins N-cadherin, Vimentin, and E-cadherin were detected by Westernblot. Bioinformatics and dual-luciferase reporter assay were used to detect the targeting interaction between miR-18a-5p and SMAD2. Xenotransplantation and metastasis model were used to detect the effect of miR-18a-5p on NPC growth and metastasis in vivo.Results:miR-18a-5p was highly expressed in NPC tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-18a-5p promotedNPC cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and EMT process, whereas inhibition of miR-18a-5p expression led to the oppositeresults. Results of dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that SMAD2 was the target gene of miR-18a-5p, and SMAD2 could reverse the effect of miR-18a-5p on NPC cell line. Xenotransplantation and metastasis model experiments in nude mice showed that miR-18a-5p promotesNPC growth and metastasis in vivo.Conclusions:Targeting SMAD2 downregulated miR-18a-5p expression, thereby promoting NPC cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and EMT.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 153303382098586
Author(s):  
Xuhui Wu ◽  
Gongzhi Wu ◽  
Huaizhong Zhang ◽  
Xuyang Peng ◽  
Bin Huang ◽  
...  

Objective: We aimed to investigate the mechanism of the regulatory axis of miR-196b/AQP4 underlying the invasion and migration of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cells. Methods: LUAD miRNA and mRNA expression profiles were downloaded from TCGA database and then differential analysis was used to identify the target miRNA. Target gene for the miRNA was obtained via prediction using 3 bioinformatics databases and intersection with the differentially expressed mRNAs searched from TCGA-LUAD. Then, qRT-PCR and western blot were used to validate the expression of miR-196b and AQP4. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm the targeting relationship between miR-196b and AQP4. Transwell assay was used to investigate the migration and invasion of LUAD cells. Results: MiR-196b was screened out by differential and survival analyses, and the downstream target gene AQP4 was identified. In LUAD, miR-196b was highly expressed while AQP4 was poorly expressed. Besides, overexpression of miR-196b promoted cell invasion and migration, while overexpression of AQP4 had negative effects. Moreover, the results of the dual-luciferase reporter assay suggested that AQP4 was a direct target of miR-196b. In addition, we also found that overexpressing AQP4 could suppress the promotive effect of miR-196b on cancer cell invasion and migration. Conclusion: MiR-196b promotes the invasion and migration of LUAD cells by down-regulating AQP4, which helps us find new molecular targeted therapies for LUAD.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhu Jin ◽  
Yutong Chen ◽  
Yuchen Mao ◽  
Mingjuan Gao ◽  
Zebing Zheng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: microRNAs have been studied widely in hepatoblastoma. However, the role of miR-125b-5p and its relationship with the lncRNA sNEAT1 and YES1 in hepatoblastoma have not been reported previously. We aimed to reveal the role of NEAT1/miR-125b-5p/YES1 in the progression of hepatoblastoma.Methods: We collected tumor tissues and their adjacent tissues from 12 hepatoblastoma patients. qRT-PCR was applied to detect the expression of miR-125b-5p, and the relationship of miR-125b-5p with clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed. Dual luciferase reporter assays and RNA pull down assays were used to identify the relationships among NEAT1, miR-125b-5p and YES1. CCK8, Transwell assays and wound healing assays were used to examine cell viability, invasion and migration. In vivo experiments were also applied to detect the effect of miR-125b-5p on hepatoblastoma.Results: miR-125b-5p was significantly downregulated in hepatoblastoma tissue and cells. The higher the PRETEXT grade, the lower the miR-125b-5p level. NEAT1 could bind to miR-125b-5p and inhibit its expression. miR-125b-5p could target YES1 and inhibit its expression. Overexpression of miR-125b-5p decreased the proliferation, invasion, and migratory ability of hepatoblastoma cells. YES1 could rescue the above effects. At the same time, overexpression of miR-125b-5p resulted in decreased YES1 and tumor growth inhibition in vivo.Conclusion: miR-125b-5p acted as a shared miRNA of NEAT1 and YES1 in hepatoblastoma. Overexpression of miR-125b-5p could target YES1 and inhibit its expression, therefore inhibiting the progression of hepatoblastoma.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 1197-1208
Author(s):  
Zhuo Ma ◽  
Kai Li ◽  
Peng Chen ◽  
Qizheng Pan ◽  
Xuyang Li ◽  
...  

Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) is a prevalent primary bone malignancy and its distal metastasis remains the main cause of mortality in OS patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles during cancer metastasis. Objective: Thus, elucidating the role of miRNA dysregulation in OS metastasis may provide novel therapeutic targets. Methods: The previous study found a low miR-134 expression level in the OS specimens compared with paracancer tissues. Overexpression of miR-134 stable cell lines was established. Cell viability assay, cell invasion and migration assay and apoptosis assay were performed to evaluate the role of miR-134 in OS in vitro. Results: We found that miR-134 overexpression inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and induces cell apoptosis in both MG63 and Saos-2 cell lines. Mechanistically, miR-134 targets the 3'-UTR of VEGFA and MYCN mRNA to silence its translation, which was confirmed by luciferase-reporter assay. The real-time PCR analysis illustrated that miR-134 overexpression decreases VEGFA and MYCN mRNA levels. Additionally, the overexpression of VEGFA or MYCN can partly attenuate the effects of miR-134 on OS cell migration and viability. Furthermore, the overexpression of miR-134 dramatically inhibits tumor growth in the human OS cell line xenograft mouse model in vivo. Moreover, bioinformatic and luciferase assays indicate that the expression of miR-134 is regulated by Interferon Regulatory Factor (IRF1), which binds to its promoter and activates miR-134 expression. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that IRF1 is a key player in the transcriptional control of miR-134, and it inhibits cell proliferation, invasion and migration in vitro and in vivo via targeting VEGFA and MYCN.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 2279-2285
Author(s):  
Shenglin Wu ◽  
Shan Nie ◽  
Jian Wang

Purpose: To investigate the role and mechanism of microRNA-206 (miR-206) in cytoskeleton reorganization in melanoma cells. Methods: MiR-206 and RNA helicase p68 (DDX5) expression levels were measured in A375, A875, and HEM-M cells by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). A DDX5 overexpression cell line was constructed, and DDX5 overexpression, A375, and A875 cells were transfected with miR-206 mimic or DDX5 small interfering RNA (siRNA). Transwell assay was used to assess cell migration and invasion of A375 and A875 cells, while Luciferase reporter assay was used to determine the putative target of miR-206. DDX5, miR-206, vinculin, coronin3, and ezrin expression levels were evaluated by qRT-PCR. Protein expressions of DDX5, vinculin, coronin3, and ezrin were evaluated by western blot analysis. Results: DDX5 expression was higher and miR-206 expression lower in A375 and A875 cells when compared to HEM-M cells (p < 0.05). Knockdown of DDX5 and overexpression of miR-206 repressed invasion and migration, and inhibited expression of vinculin, coronin3, and ezrin in A375 and A875 cells (p < 0.05). However, overexpression of DDX5 reversed the effect of miR-206 on cytoskeletal protein expression. Luciferase reporter assay data confirmed that DDX5 is a direct target of miR-206 (p < 0.05). Conclusion: MiR-206 suppresses reorganization of the cytoskeleton in melanoma cells by targeting DDX5, and is thus, a promising target for the treatment of melanoma.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian You ◽  
Xiufen Chen ◽  
Jie Zhou ◽  
Lilei Peng ◽  
Yang Ming ◽  
...  

Abstract MicroRNAs play an important role in glioma, and the function of miR-450a in glioma is unknown. We aimed to clarify the role and underlying mechanism of miR-450a in glioma. We analyzed the miR-450a expression and prognosis data of glioma patients from TCGA and CGGA databases. CCK8, colony formation, nude tumor formation, transwell and wound healing assay investigated glioma cells transfected with miR-450a inhibitor growth, invasion and migration, respectively. Bioinformatics and luciferase reporter assay were applied to predict and verify the direct target gene of miR-450a. In this study, we found that miR-450a expression was significantly higher in glioma tissues and cells than the normal tissues and cells, and there is a positive correlation between miR-450a expression and histopathological grade of gliomas. In addition, the glioma patients with high miR-450a expression exhibited poorer prognosis. Downregulation of miR-450a remarkedly suppressed glioma cells growth in vitro and vivo, and inhibited glioma cells invasion and migration. Luciferase reporter assay verified that PPMIL is a direct target of miR-450a. PPM1L silencing partially rescued miR-450a knockdown-induced suppressive effects on glioma cells. Therefore, our data demonstrated that miR-450a/PPM1L axis could mediate the malignant phenotype of glioma, which provided a feasible target for glioma therapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 720-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingke Sun ◽  
Shumin Xu ◽  
Yanli Yan ◽  
Yusheng Li ◽  
Hongqiang Li ◽  
...  

Objective: To investigate the role of miR-205 and GATA3 in Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF). Methods: Bleomycin (BLM) was used to induce PF in SD rats and in vitro PF model was established by using TGFβ1-induced RLE-6TN cells. miR-205 mimics were used for the overexpression of miR- 205. The expression of miR-205, GATA3, α-SMA, Collagen I, CHOP and GRP78 were measured using RT-qPCR or western blotting. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm binding between GATA3 3’-UTR and miR-205. Results: The expression of miR-205 was significantly down-regulated, while the expression of GATA3 was remarkably up-regulated in the model rats. GATA3 levels were remarkably decreased when miR-205 was overexpressed. When miR-205 was overexpressed, the lung injury by BLM-induced fibrosis was improved. The expression of α-SMA, Collagen I, as well as GRP78 and CHOP, was significantly up-regulated in both in vivo and in vitro PF models, and overexpression of miR-205 remarkably reversed the effects. Dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-205 directly targeted and negatively regulated GATA3. Conclusion: miR-205 improved pulmonary fibrosis through inhibiting ER-stress by targeting GATA3.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1227-1235
Author(s):  
Yongmei Zhang ◽  
Huayi Zhang ◽  
Gang Guo

Increasing evidence suggests microRNAs (miRs/miRNAs) exert considerable functions in the pathogenesis of malignancies, including breast cancer (BC). The miR-200a-3p has previously been reported to promote tumorigenesis in different types of cancers. The present study aimed to investigate the potential role of and possible mechanisms of miR-200a-3p in BC. In this study miR-200a-3p and ephrin-A5 (EFNA5) expression in tissues of patients with BC was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. And several BC cell lines were employed to determine the expression levels of miR-200a-3p and EFNA5. Then, miR-200a-3p expression was silenced by transfection with miR-200a-3p inhibitor. Cell proliferation was evaluated using a cell counting kit-8 kit and colony formation assay, whilst cell invasion and migration were detected using Transwell and wound healing assays, respectively. Then, the potential interaction between miR-200a-3p and EFNA5 was verified using luciferase reporter assay. Subsequently, rescue assays were conducted by co-transfection with miR-200a-3p inhibitor and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeted against EFNA5 (shRNA-EFNA5) to study the effects of TTN-AS1 and miR-211-5p on BC development. Results indicated that miR-200a-3p expression was significantly upregulated while EFNA5 was notably downregulated in BC tissues and cell lines. Cells transfected with miR-200a-3p inhibitor presented lower abilities of cell proliferation, invasion and migration. Moreover, the luciferase reporter assay confirmed that EFNA5 was a direct target of miR-200a-3p. And EFNA5 silencing reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-200a-3p inhibitor on proliferation, invasion and migration of BC cells. Taken together, these findings revealed that miR-200a-3p silencing inhibits proliferation, invasion and migration of BC cells by targeting EFNA5, which provides insights into the regulatory mechanism of BC and new strategies for developing therapeutic interventions for this disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Miao Yu ◽  
Weihao Lu ◽  
Zhenglin Cao ◽  
Tianhang Xuan

Background. Osteosarcoma (OS) is one of the most malignant bone tumors and has a high metastatic rate. Increasing research has demonstrated the vital roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in human cancers, including OS. LncRNA LINC00662 has been revealed to act as an oncogene involved in multiple tumor progression. This study aimed to investigate the expression pattern, function, and regulatory mechanism of LINC00662 in OS. Methods. Patients who underwent OS surgery were involved in this study. Experiments including RT-qPCR, MTT, western blot, FISH, RNA pull-down, luciferase reporter, colony formation, transwell invasion and migration, and sphere formation assay were performed to investigate the regulatory role of LINC00662 in OS. Results. In the present study, our findings demonstrated the upregulation of LINC00662 expression in OS tissues and cells, and high expression of LINC00662 predicted a poor clinical prognosis of patients’ iNOS. Through a series of in vivo assays, LINC00662 knockdown suppressed OS cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and stemness property maintenance. Further mechanistical investigations indicated that LINC00662 functioned as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for sponging microRNA-16-5p (miR-16-5p) to upregulate the expression of IP receptor type 1 (ITPR1) in OS cells. Restoration assays validated the involvement of ITPR1 in LINC00662-mediated regulation of cell functions in OS. Conclusion. LINC00662 exerts oncogenic functions in OS by targeting the miR-16-5p/ITPR1 axis.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuangshuang Li ◽  
Jiajia Shao ◽  
Guohua Lou ◽  
Chao Wu ◽  
Yanning Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers with high incidence and mortality. But the underlying mechanisms of HCC still remain unclear. Eukaryotic translation initiation factors (eIFs), showing a large effect on tumor development. In this study, we were aimed to investigate the role of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4 gamma 2 (EIF4G2) in HCC. Methods Western blot (WB) in 30 paired HCC tissues and tissue microarrays (TMAs) by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 89 paired HCC samples were performed to assess EIF4G2 expression. Clone formation, Real-Time Cell Analysis (RTCA), wounding-healing and transwell assays were adopted to evaluate the role of EIF4G2 on HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion ability. The function of EIF4G2 on HCC tumor growth was conducted by xenograft nude mouse model in vivo. The regulation of miR-144-3p on EIF4G2 was performed by luciferase reporter assay and WB. Results EIF4G2 was obviously upregulated in HCC tissues, and high-expression of EIF4G2 was closely related to HCC prognosis. EIF4G2 silencing could inhibit HCC cells growth and metastasis in vitro, and suppress tumorigenesis in vivo by repressing ERK signaling pathway. The results of luciferase reporter assay, WB and IHC staining verified that EIF4G2 was negatively regulated by miR-144. And re-expression of EIF4G2 could partially reverse the inhibiting effect of miR-144 in HCC. Conclusion In summary, our study revealed the role of EIF4G2 in HCC development by activating ERK pathway. We also found that EIF4G2 could be negatively regulated by tumor suppressor miR-144. Our investigations indicated that EIF4G2 might be a promising therapeutic target in HCC.


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