scholarly journals MiR-21-3p Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression Through Regulating Smad7/Yap1

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yinghui Hong ◽  
Dan Wang ◽  
Mingliang Ye ◽  
Chun Wang ◽  
Jie Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Tissue Growth ◽  
Luciferase Assay ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Poor Overall Survival ◽  
Rat Models ◽  
Downstream Effector ◽  
Gene Sets ◽  
Strong Relation

Abstract BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains the global burden due to its high prevalence and mortality. Emerging evidence confirms that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital role in cancer initiation and progression. MiRNAs are widely involved in the regulation of signaling pathways by targeting downstream genes. MiR-21-3p as a liver-enriched miRNA has not been fully investigated. Abnormal activation of TGF-β transduction pathway promoted by deletion of Smad7 matters since HCC occurrence. While the relation between miR-21-3p and Smad7 has not yet been confirmed. We aimed to explore the influence of miR-21-3p on HCC initiation and progression by targeting Smad7 and further facilitating the expression of Yap1. Methods MicroRNA (miRNA) microarray analysis was performed for miRNA screening. Dual-luciferase assay was adopted for target verifying. The expressions of miRNA and related genes were quantified by qRT-PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemical staining. Flow cytometry and transwell assay were used to discover cell apoptosis, invasion and metastasis abilities. Rat models were established to explore the axis's role in hepatocarcinogenesis. Bioinformatics analysis was performed for analyzing clinical significance. Results ­ MiR-21-3p was significantly increased in HCC, indicating a poor overall survival (OS) rate. High miR-21-3p was associated with advanced stages (P=0.029), especially T stages (P=0.026). Low Smad7/high Yap1 was verified in HCCs and rat models. Smad7 was proved to be the direct target of miR-21-3p. MiR-21-3p's effect on tumor malignant phenotypes and promotion of Yap1 could be partly reversed through transfecting Smad7. Overexpressed Yap1 promoted the downstream effector connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). Co-survival analysis indicated that lower miR-21-3p/higher Smad7 (P=0.0494) and lower miR-21-3p/lower Yap1 group (P=0.0379) patients had better OS rates. GSVA analysis of miR-21-3p and Smad7 related gene sets displayed strong relation with TGF-β signaling pathway in HCC. Conclusions MiR-21-3p promotes HCC migration and invasion via directly inhibiting Smad7 and further improving the expression of Yap1.

scholarly journals MiR-21-3p promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression through regulating Smad7/Yap1.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yinghui Hong ◽  
Mingliang Ye ◽  
Dan Wang ◽  
Chun Wang ◽  
Jie Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Tissue Growth ◽  
Luciferase Assay ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Poor Overall Survival ◽  
Rat Models ◽  
Downstream Effector ◽  
Gene Sets ◽  
Strong Relation

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains the global burden due to its high prevalence and mortality. Emerging evidence confirms that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital role in cancer initiation and progression. MiRNAs are widely involved in the regulation of signaling pathways by targeting downstream genes. MiR-21-3p as a liver-enriched miRNA has not been fully investigated. Abnormal activation of TGF-β transduction pathway promoted by deletion of Smad7 matters since HCC occurrence. While the relation between miR-21-3p and Smad7 has not yet been confirmed. We aimed to explore the influence of miR-21-3p on HCC initiation and progression by targeting Smad7 and further facilitating the expression of Yap1. Methods MicroRNA (miRNA) microarray analysis was performed for miRNA screening. Dual-luciferase assay was adopted for target verifying. The expressions of miRNA and related genes were quantified by qRT-PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemical staining. Flow cytometry and transwell assay were used to discover cell apoptosis, invasion and metastasis abilities. Rat models were established to explore the axis's role in hepatocarcinogenesis. Bioinformatics analysis was performed for analyzing clinical significance. Results ­ MiR-21-3p was significantly increased in HCC, indicating a poor overall survival (OS) rate. High miR-21-3p was associated with advanced stages (P=0.029), especially T stages (P=0.026). Low Smad7/high Yap1 was verified in HCCs and rat models. Smad7 was proved to be the direct target of miR-21-3p. MiR-21-3p's effect on tumor malignant phenotypes and promotion of Yap1 could be partly reversed through transfecting Smad7. Overexpressed Yap1 promoted the downstream effector connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). Co-survival analysis indicated that lower miR-21-3p/higher Smad7 (P=0.0494) and lower miR-21-3p/lower Yap1 group (P=0.0379) patients had better OS rates. GSVA analysis of miR-21-3p and Smad7 related gene sets displayed strong relation with TGF-β signaling pathway in HCC. Conclusions MiR-21-3p promotes HCC migration and invasion via directly inhibiting Smad7 and further improving the expression of Yap1.

CircRNA circ-0110102 Function as Anti-oncogenic Gene in Hepatocellular Carcinoma through Modulating miR-580-5p/CCL2 Pathway

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinxing Wang ◽  
Wei Sheng ◽  
Tao Xu ◽  
Jiawen Xu ◽  
Juntao Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Tumor Biology ◽  
Luciferase Assay ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Activation Effect ◽  
Cox 2 ◽  
No Activation

Abstract Background Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been shown to have critical regulatory roles in tumor biology, whereas their contributions in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) still remains enigmatic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in hsa_circ_0110102 in the occurrence and development of HCC. Results hsa_circ_0110102 was significantly down-regulated in HCC cell lines and tissues, low hsa_circ_0110102 expression levels were associated with poor prognosis. Knockdown hsa_circ_0110102 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion. In addition, the interaction between hsa_circ_0110102 and miR-580-5p was predicted and verified by luciferase assay and RNA pull-down, indicating that hsa_circ_0110102 function as sponge of miR-580-5p. Moreover, miR-580-5p which could directly bind to the 3’-UTR of CCL2 and induce its expression, then active the COX-2/PGE2 pathway in macrophage via FoxO1 in p38 MAPK dependent manner. Furthermore, the Δ256 mutant of FoxO1 showed no activation effect. These results concluded that hsa_circ_0110102 act as a sponge for miR-580-5p and decreased CCL2 secretion in HCC cells, then inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokine release from activated macrophage by regulating the COX-2/PGE2 pathway. Conclusions These results indicating that hsa_circ_0110102 serves as a potential prognostic predictor or therapeutic target for HCC.

scholarly journals Long noncoding RNA CASC2c inhibited cell proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma by inactivated ERK1/2 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 302-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Y. Li ◽  
K. Yang ◽  
F. G. Liu ◽  
X. G. Sun ◽  
L. Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Noncoding Rna ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Cancer Susceptibility ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Tumor Tissues ◽  
Hcc Cells

Abstract Purpose Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in tumorigenesis, but their biological functions and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Alternative splicing of five exons results in three transcript variants of cancer susceptibility 2 (CASC2): the lncRNAs CASC2a, CASC2b, and CASC2c. CASC2a/b have been found to have crucial regulatory functions in a number of malignancies, but few studies have examined the effects of CASC2c in cancers. The objective of the study was to investigate the role of CASC2c in the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Methods This study first investigated the expression levels of CASC2c in tumor tissues, corresponding non-tumor tissues and cells using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The function and underlying molecular mechanism of CASC2c in human HCC were investigated in QGY-7703 cell line, as well as in gastric cancer (GC) cell and colorectal cancer (CRC) cell. Results In the present work, we observed that CASC2c was significantly down-regulated in HCC tissues and cells. Moreover, its overexpression remarkably inhibited the growth, migration, and invasion of HCC cells in vitro and promoted their apoptosis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that CASC2c overexpression decreased p-ERK1/2 levels in HCC, GC, and CRC cells. Interestingly, while overexpression of CASC2c decreased β-catenin expression in HCC and GC cells, it increased that in CRC cells. Conclusion The lncRNA–CASC2c has a vital role in tumorigenesis and cancer progression, and may serve as a biomarker or therapeutic target in cancer treatment via down-regulation of the ERK1/2 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways.

scholarly journals Elevated FOXC2 Expression Promotes Invasion of HCC Cell Lines and is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Yang ◽  
Lizhi Lv ◽  
Kun Zhang ◽  
Qiucheng Cai ◽  
Jianyong Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Flow Cytometric Analysis ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Flow Cytometric ◽  
Kaplan Meier ◽  
Proliferation Assays ◽  
The Relationship

Background/Aims: Increasing evidence has indicated that Forkhead box protein C2 (FOXC2) plays an important role in carcinogenesis. However, the expression and the role of FOXC2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not been extensively studied. Methods: FOXC2 expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry in HCC tissue and cells. The relationship between FOXC2 expression and patient clinical significance and survival were assessed by Pearson’s correlation and Kaplan-Meier analysis, respectively. Cell proliferation assays, colony formation assays, flow cytometric analysis and Transwell assays were employed to measure the effects of FOXC2 on HCC cells in vitro. Results: The expression of FOXC2 was increased in HCC tissue, and high FOXC2 expression was associated with worse patient survival. Knockdown of FOXC2 inhibited HCC cell growth, migration, and invasion in vitro, as well as tumor growth. Furthermore, we found that activation of AKT-mediated MMP-2 and MMP-9 was involved in FOXC2 promoting an aggressive phenotype. Conclusions: Taken together, these findings demonstrate that FOXC2 is upregulated in HCC tissue and is associated with tumor size, vascular invasion and advanced TNM stage. Further investigation suggested that FOXC2 may play a vital role in promoting proliferation and invasion in HCC and serves as a novel therapeutic target in HCC.

scholarly journals MiR-21-3p Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression via SMAD7/YAP1 Regulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yinghui Hong ◽  
Mingliang Ye ◽  
Fan Wang ◽  
Jun Fang ◽  
Chun Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Overall Survival ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanism ◽  
Luciferase Assay ◽  
Rat Models ◽  
Cancer Pathogenesis ◽  
Tumor Stages

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major global health burden due to its high prevalence and mortality. Emerging evidence reveals that microRNA (miRNA) plays a vital role in cancer pathogenesis and is widely involved in the regulation of signaling pathways via their targeting of downstream genes. MiR-21-3p, a liver-enriched miRNA, and SMAD7, the negative regulator of the TGF-β signaling pathway, likely exert a vital influence on HCC progression.AimsHere, we explore the role of the miR-21-3p-SMAD7/YAP1 axis on HCC pathogenesis.MethodsMiRNA microarray analysis was performed for miRNA screening. The dual-luciferase assay was adopted for target verification. Expression of miRNA and related genes were quantified via qRT-PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemical staining. Flow cytometry and the transwell migration assay were used to detail cell apoptosis, invasion and metastases. Rat models were established to explore the role of the miR-21-3p-SMAD7/YAP1 axis in hepatocarcinogenesis. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted for exploring genes of clinical significance.ResultsMiR-21-3p levels were found to be significantly elevated in hepatocellular carcinoma and indicate poor overall survival. High miR-21-3p levels were associated with advanced tumor stages (P = 0.029), in particular T staging (P = 0.026). Low SMAD7/high YAP1 levels were confirmed in both HCC and rat models with advanced liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Besides, SMAD7 was demonstrated to be the direct target of miR-21-3p. The effect of MiR-21-3p on tumor phenotypes and YAP1 upregulation could be partly reversed via the restoration of SMAD7 expression in HCC cell lines. Overexpression of YAP1 after miR-21-3p upregulation promoted expression of nuclear transcription effector connective tissue growth factor. Co-survival analysis indicated that lower miR-21-3p/higher SMAD7 (P = 0.0494) and lower miR-21-3p/lower YAP1 (P = 0.0379) group patients had better overall survival rates. Gene Set Variation Analysis revealed that gene sets related to miR-21-3p and SMAD7 were significantly associated with the TGF-β signaling pathway in HCC.ConclusionMiR-21-3p promotes migration and invasion of HCC cells and upregulation of YAP1 expression via direct inhibition of SMAD7, underscoring a major epigenetic mechanism in the pathogenesis of HCC.

scholarly journals Inhibition of RFX6 Suppresses the Invasive Ability of Tumor Cells Through the Notch Pathway and Affects Tumor Immunity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mu Song ◽  
Mulati Kuerban ◽  
Lu Zhao ◽  
Xiaolin Peng ◽  
Youqin Xu
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Biological Significance ◽  
Notch Pathway ◽  
Luciferase Assay ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BackgroundThe DNA-binding protein RFX6 was overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma, and its expression level was correlated with the prognosis and immune cell infiltration in liver hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the mechanism of the abnormal expression and the biological effects of RFX6 in liver cancer remains unknown.MethodsTo understand the specific expression mechanism of RFX6 in liver cancer, we performed bioinformatic prediction, CHIP-qPCR assay, co-IP, and dual-luciferase assay to assess the regulating mechanism of RFX6. In the meantime, a series of biological experiments in vivo and in vitro were conducted to analyze the biological significance of RFX6 in hepatocellular carcinoma.ResultsWe demonstrated that knockdown of RFX6 in liver cancer cells significantly suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells. Moreover, inhibition of RFX6 could affect the immune response of T cells. Among a number of interacting proteins, we revealed that RFX6 directly binds to DTX2, a regulator of the Notch signaling pathway by targeting NOTCH1, and helps in its transcription stability. Furthermore, we discovered that miRNA-542-3p, the expression of which was decreased in hepatocellular carcinoma, was directly involved in the negative regulation of the expression of RFX6.ConclusionIn summary, we discovered that the miRNA-542-3p–RFX6–DTX2–NOTCH1 regulatory pathway played significant roles in the tumor progression of liver hepatocellular carcinoma.

scholarly journals LncRNA PITPNA-AS1 as a Potential Diagnostic Marker and Therapeutic Target Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression via Modulating miR-448/ROCK1 Axis

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing-fang Wang ◽  
Qing-lin Wang ◽  
Ming-bo Cao
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Antisense Rna ◽  
Diagnostic Marker ◽  
Luciferase Assay ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Biological Functions ◽  
Non Coding Rnas ◽  
Hcc Cells

Background: Long non-coding RNAs are critical to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) developments. LncRNA PITPNA antisense RNA 1 (PITPNA-AS1) is a new regulator in several tumors. However, the mechanism by which PITPNA-AS1 mediates the tumorigenesis of HCC remains unclear.Methods: RT-qPCR was used to detect the level of PITPNA-AS1 in HCC specimens and cells. The biological functions of PITPNA-AS1 were explored by several functional experiments in vivo and in vitro. The binding relationship among PITPNA-AS1, miR-448 and ROCK1 were studied by Luciferase assay and pull-down assays.Results: We found that PITPNA-AS1 expressions were distinctly upregulated in both HCC specimens and cell lines. High PITPNA-AS1 levels were an unfavorable biomarker for patients with HCC. Functionally, knockdown of PITPNA-AS1 suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells. Mechanistically, PITPNA-AS1 functioned as competing endogenous RNA to increase ROCK1 expressions via sponging miR-448.Conclusion: The newly identified PITPNA-AS/miR-448/ROCK1 axis promoted the oncogenicity of HCC cells. This novel axis is likely to be a promising HCC therapeutic aim.

scholarly journals Thymosin β 10 is overexpressed and associated with unfavorable prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunrong Song ◽  
Zhong Su ◽  
Jing Guo
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Human Cancer ◽  
Normal Liver ◽  
The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Tumor Biomarker ◽  
Advanced Tumor Stage ◽  
Poor Overall Survival ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Advanced Tumor

Abstract Thymosin β 10 (TMSB10) has been demonstrated to be overexpressed and function as an oncogene in most types of human cancer including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In our study, we present more evidence about the clinical significance and biological function of TMSB10 in HCC. First, we observed levels of TMSB10 expression were obviously increased in HCC tissues compared with normal liver tissues at The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. Furthermore, we confirmed that TMSB10 mRNA and protein levels were also increased in HCC tissue samples compared with normal adjacent normal liver tissue samples. In addition, we found high TMSB10 expression was remarkably associated with the advanced tumor stage, large tumor size, distant metastasis, and poor prognosis, and acted as an independent factor for predicting poor overall survival in HCC patients. Loss-of-function studies suggested silencing of TMSB10 expression dramatically reduced cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in HCC. In conclusion, TMSB10 may hold promise as a tumor biomarker for predicting prognosis and a potential target for developing a novel therapeutic strategy.

MiR-18a-5p promotes proliferation, migration and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting CPEB3

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianxing Zheng ◽  
Dongyang Wu ◽  
Libing Wang ◽  
Fengzhi Qu ◽  
Daming Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Wound Healing ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Bioinformatic Analysis ◽  
Luciferase Assay ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Promoting Effect ◽  
Migration Ability ◽  
Qrt Pcr ◽  
Hcc Cells

Abstract Objective The study aims to explore the mechanism of miR-18a-5p targeting CPEB3 gene in regulating the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods Differential and survival analyses were conducted on HCC expression profiles from TCGA database to screen out target miRNAs on which targeted prediction was conducted. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expressions of miR-18a-5p and CPEB3. MTT assay examined the proliferation activity, wound healing assay analyzed the migration ability and Transwell assay detected the invasion ability of HCC cells after overexpressing miR-18a-5p.Dual luciferase assay verified the targeting relationship between miR-18a-5p and CPEB3. Meanwhile, MTT, wound healing and Transwellassays determined whether the overexpression of CPEB3 reversed the promoting effect of miR-18a-5p on HCC cells. Results Bioinformatic analysis showed that miR-18a-5p was significantly highly expressed in HCC tissues and its target binding site was found in CPEB3 genewith low expression.The qRT-PCR found that high miR-18a-5p expression was observed in HCC cells, and the expression of CPEB3 was significantly low. Overexpression of miR-18a-5p promoted proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells. Dual luciferase assay observed that miR-18a-5p inhibited the expression of CPEB3 while overexpression of CPEB3 reversed the promoting effect of miR-18a-5p on the growth of HCCcells. Conclusion miR-18a-5p promoted the proliferation and migration of HCC cells by inhibiting the expression of CPEB3. The role of miR-18a-5p /CPEB3 in HCCfound in this study provided a new potential target for the prognostic treatment of HCC patients.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document