LncRNA PCGsEM1 contributes to the Proliferation, Migration and Invasion of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cells via acting as a Sponge for miR-152-3p Short title: The PCGEM1/miR-152-3p axis in NSCLC

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhui Huang ◽  
Jian Lou ◽  
Xueni Liu ◽  
Yanru Xie

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play important roles in cellular biological function. Aberrant expression of lncRNAs has been found to be related to the progression of various diseases. LncRNA prostate cancer gene expression marker 1 (PCGEM1) has been demonstrated to be involved in the initiation and progression of human cancers. However, to date, the clinical and functional significance of PCGEM1 expression in NSCLC progression remains unknown. Methods: The expression of LncRNA PCGEM1 and miR-152-3p in NSCLC tissues and cells was analyzed using quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Experiments using NSCLC cells were conducted to explore the influence of PCGEM1 on tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Results: Increased expression of PCGEM1 was observed in NSCLC tissues and cells compared with the corresponding controls (all P < 0.001). PCGEM1 expression was associated with NSCLC patients’ lymph node metastasis and TNM stage (all P < 0.05), and the knockdown of PCGEM1 in NSCLC cells led to inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion. The further luciferase reporter assay and expression results showed that miR-152-3p might be a target gene of PCGEM1 and mediate the effects of PCGEM1 on cell proliferation, migration and invasion in NSCLC. Conclusion: Thus, the findings from the present study indicate that the NSCLC patients have significantly increased PCGEM1 and decreased miR-152-3p expression and that the knockdown of PCGEM1 may inhibit NSCLC cell proliferation, migration and invasion by sponging miR-152-3p. The PCGEM1/miR-152-3p axis may provide novel therapeutic targets for NSCLC treatment.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Wang ◽  
Ruiling Zhao ◽  
Suhong Zhang

AbstractEmerging evidence has manifested that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) played critical roles in diabetes. The present research aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of XIST on proliferation, migration and apoptosis in diabetic cataract (DC). In the present study, lens epithelial cells (SRA01/04) were treated by high glucose (HG). The levels of XIST, miR-34a and SMAD2 were examined by RT-qPCR. MTT, transwell, wound healing and TUNEL assays were employed to examine cell proliferation, invasion, migration and apoptosis. The interaction between miR-34a and XIST or SMAD2 was verified by luciferase reporter assay. It was found that XIST expression was increased and miR-34a level was decreased in DC tissues and HG-induced SRA01/04 cells. XIST knockdown or miR-34a addition attenuated cell proliferation and migration, and induced apoptosis in SRA01/04 cells under HG. XIST targeted miR-34a and regulated DC progression via miR-34a. SMAD2 was a target gene of miR-34a and was positively modulated by XIST. SMAD2 addition accelerated cell proliferation, migration and inhibited the apoptosis in HG-stimulated SRA01/04 cells, which were abrogated by XIST depletion. In conclusion, XIST facilitated the proliferation, migration and invasion, and inhibited the apoptosis via miR-34a/SMAD2 axis in DC.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tengkai Wang ◽  
Rui Ji ◽  
Guanqun Liu ◽  
Beilei Ma ◽  
ZEHUA WANG ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies, molecular mechanism of which is still not clear. Aberrant expression of tumor-associated genes is the major cause of tumorigenesis. DBF4 is an important factor in cancers, although there is yet no report on its function and molecular mechanism in GC.Methods: The expression of DBF4 in tumor tissues or cells of GC was detected by RT-PCR and western blotting. Gastric cancer cell line MGC-803 and AGS were transfected with DBF4 siRNA or overexpression vector to detect the function of DBF4 in proliferation and migration with CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, transwell assay and wound healing assay. miR-30a was found to be the regulator of DBF4 by online bioinformatics software and confirmed with RT-PCR, western blot and dual-luciferase reporter assays.Results: In our study, increased expression of DBF4 in GC tissues was first identified through The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and later confirmed using specimens from GC patients. Furthermore, functional experiments were applied to demonstrate that DBF4 promotes cell proliferation and migration in GC cell lines, moreover weakens the sensitivity of MGC803 and AGS cells to 5-Fu. We further demonstrated that miR-30a showed significantly lower expression in GC cells and inhibited the expression of DBF4 through 3ʹ-UTR suppression. Furthermore, rescue experiments revealed that the miR-30a-DBF4 axis regulated the GC cell proliferation and migration. The important composition in tumor microenvironment, lactate, may be the primary factor that suppressed miR-30a to strengthen the expression of DBF4. Conclusions: Taken together, our study was the first to identify DBF4 as a regulator of cell proliferation and migration in GC. Furthermore, our study identified the lactate-miR-30a-DBF4 axis as a crucial regulator of tumor progression and the tumor sensitivity to 5-Fu, which maybe serve useful for the development of novel therapeutic targets.


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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinhua Xu ◽  
Yan Ding ◽  
Jun Yao ◽  
Zhiping Wei ◽  
Haipeng Jin ◽  
...  

Background. This study was aimed at exploring the effects of miR-215 and its target gene stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) on colorectal cancer (CRC) cell migration and invasion. Methods. Here, we analyzed the relationship between miR-215 and SCD, as well as the regulation of miR-215 on CRC cells. We constructed wild-type and mutant plasmids of SCD to identify whether SCD was a target gene of miR-215 by using a luciferase reporter assay. The expression of miR-215 and SCD was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot, respectively. MTT, wound healing, and Transwell assays were applied to determine the effect of miR-215 on CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Results. It was found that miR-215 expression was significantly decreased in CRC tissue while SCD was highly expressed compared with those in adjacent normal tissue. The luciferase reporter assay indicated that SCD was a direct target gene of miR-215. Functional analysis revealed that miR-215 overexpression significantly inhibited CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. In addition, the result of rescue experiments showed that overexpression of SCD could promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRC cells, and the carcinogenic effect of SCD could be inhibited by miR-215. Conclusions. Taken together, our findings suggested that miR-215 could inhibit CRC cell migration and invasion via targeting SCD. The result could eventually contribute to the treatment for CRC.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunjie Zhang ◽  
Cuixue Gong ◽  
Jianzhao Li ◽  
Jiaying Tang

Abstract Background The biological function of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) have received increasing attention in the pathogenesis of various malignancies. This study aimed to evaluate the functional role and clinical significance of the KCNQ1OT1/miR-935 axis in breast cancer (BCa) progression. Methods Expression of KCNQ1OT1 and miR-935 was estimated using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The interaction between KCNQ1OT1 and miR-935 was confirmed by luciferase reporter assay. BCa cell proliferation, migration and invasion were evaluated using CCK-8 and Transwell assays. The clinical significance of the KCNQ1OT1/miR-935 axis in BCa diagnosis was examined by ROC analysis. Results The expression of KCNQ1OT1 was significantly elevated, but the miR-935 expression was decreased in BCa cells (all P < 0.01). KCNQ1OT1 could directly bind to miR-935, leading to the decreased miR-935 expression in BCa cells (P < 0.001). The overexpression of miR-935 could inhibit BCa cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and remarkably reversed the regulatory effect of KCNQ1OT1 on BCa cell biological processes (all P < 0.05). Serum KCNQ1OT1 levels were negatively correlated with miR-935 levels in BCa patients. The aberrant expression of KCNQ1OT1 and miR-935 had relatively high diagnostic accuracy for the screening of BCa patients. Conclusion In conclusion, miR-935 expression is downregulated in BCa cells, which can be inhibited by KCNQ1OT1 and mediates the promoting effect of KCNQ1OT1 on BCa tumor progression in vivo. Serum reduced expression of miR-935 may serve as a diagnostic biomarker of BCa, and the KCNQ1OT1/miR-935 axis provides potential therapeutic targets for BCa treatment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 1539-1550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Hua He ◽  
Yu-Guang Li ◽  
Ze-Ping Han ◽  
Jia-Bin Zhou ◽  
Wei-Ming Chen ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a type of RNA that is widely expressed in human cells, have essential roles in the development and progression of cancer. CircRNAs contain microRNA (miRNA) binding sites and can function as miRNA sponges to regulate gene expression by removing the inhibitory effect of an miRNA on its target gene. Methods: We used the bioinformatics software TargetScan and miRanda to predict circRNA-miRNA and miRNAi-Mrna interactions. Rate of inhibiting of proliferation was measured using a WST-8 cell proliferation assay. Clone formation ability was assessed with a clone formation inhibition test. Cell invasion and migration capacity was evaluated by performing a Transwell assay. Relative gene expression was assessed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and relative protein expression levels were determined with western blotting. circRNA and miRNA interaction was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA-pull down assays. Results: In the present study, the miRNA hsa-miR-21-5p was a target of circRNA-ACAP2, and T lymphoma invasion and metastasis protein 1 (Tiam1) was identified as a target gene of hsa-miR-21-5p. CircRNA-ACAP2 and Tiam1 were shown to be highly expressed in colon cancer tissue and colon cancer SW480 cells, but miR-21-5p was expressed at a low level. SW480 cell proliferation was suppressed when the expression of circRNA-ACAP2 and Tiam1 was decreased and the expression of miR-21-5p was increased in vivo and in vitro. SW480 cell migration and invasion were also inhibited under the same circumstance. The circRNA-ACAP2 interaction regulated the expression of miR-21-5p, and miR-21-5p regulated the expression of Tiam1. Down-regulation of circRNA-ACAP2 promoted miR-21-5p expression, which further suppressed the transcription and translation of Tiam1. Conclusion: The present study shows that the circRNA-ACAP2/hsa-miR-21-5p/Tiam1 regulatory feedback circuit could affect the proliferation, migration, and invasion of colon cancer SW480 cells. This was probably due to the fact that circRNA-ACAP2 could act as a miRNA sponge to regulate Tiam1 expression by removing the inhibitory effect of miR-21-5p on Tiam1 expression. The results from this study have revealed new insights into the pathogenicity of colon cancer and may provide novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of colon cancer.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunyu Li ◽  
Tana Zhao ◽  
Lei Nie ◽  
Yanhong Zou ◽  
Quan Zhang

Abstract Objective: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a frequent malignancy in childhood. The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of miR-223 in ALL and its underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods: The mRNA expression of miR-223 and FOXO1 was detected by qRT-RCR in ALL children. The correlation between miR-223 and clinical indexes of ALL was determined. CCRF-CEM and NALM-6 cells were transfected with miR-223 mimic and miR-223 inhibitor, respectively. The proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and migration of CCRF-CEM and NALM-6 cells were measured by MTT, flow cytometry and transwell assay. The protein expression of FOXO1 was detected by Western blot. Additionally, dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assay were performed to investigate the target gene of miR-223 and validate their targeting relationship. Results: The mRNA expression of miR-223 was markedly down-regulated in ALL, but FOXO1 was up-regulated. The protein expression of FOXO1 was highly expressed in CCRF-CEM and NALM-6 cells. The expression of miR-223 was related to WBC, PLT, RBC and risk stratification. Overexpression of miR-223 not only inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, but also induced cell apoptosis. Importantly, FOXO1 was a target gene of miR-223 in ALL cells. Silencing of FOXO1 reversed the effects of miR-223 inhibitor on cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis in ALL. Conclusions: miR-223 could inhibit cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and promote apoptosis by targeting FOXO1 in ALL.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 1025-1031
Author(s):  
Cheng Luo ◽  
Di Wu ◽  
Meiling Chen ◽  
Wenhua Miao ◽  
Changfeng Xue ◽  
...  

Background: Different saponins from herbs have been used as tonic or functional foods, and for treatment of various diseases including cancers. Although clinical data has supported the function of these saponins, their underlying molecular mechanisms have not been well defined. Methods: With the simulated hypoxia created by 8 hours of Cu++ exposure and following 24 hour incubation with different concentration of saponins in HepG2 cells for MTT assay, migration and invasion assays, and for RT-PCR, and with each group of cells for immunofluorescence observation by confocal microscopy. Results: ZC-4 had the highest rate of inhibition of cell proliferation by MTT assay, and the highest inhibition of migration rate by in vitro scratch assay, while ZC-3 had the highest inhibition of invasion ratio by transwell assay. Under the same simulated hypoxia, the molecular mechanism of saponin function was conducted by measuring the gene expression of Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF)-1α through RT-PCR, in which ZC-3 showed a potent inhibition of gene HIF-1α. For the protein expression by immunofluorescence staining with confocal microscopy, HIF-1α was also inhibited by saponins, with the most potent one being ZC-4 after eight hours’ relatively hypoxia incubation. Conclusion: Saponins ZC-4 and ZC-3 have the potential to reduce HepG2 cell proliferation, migration and invasion caused by hypoxia through effectively inhibiting the gene and protein expression of HIF-1α directly and as antioxidant indirectly


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiudan Chen ◽  
Weifeng Wang ◽  
Shuying Chen ◽  
Xiaotong Chen ◽  
Yong Lin

AbstractRecently, pivotal functions of miRNAs in regulating common tumorigenic processes and manipulating signaling pathways in brain tumors have been recognized; notably, miR‐29a is closely associated with p53 signaling, contributing to the development of glioma. However, the molecular mechanism of the interaction between miR-29a and p53 signaling is still to be revealed. Herein, a total of 30 glioma tissues and 10 non-cancerous tissues were used to investigate the expression of miR‐29a. CCK-8 assay and Transwell assay were applied to identify the effects of miR-29a altered expression on the malignant biological behaviors of glioma cells in vitro, including proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to further validate the regulatory effect of p53 or miR-29a on miR-29a or MDM2, respectively, at the transcriptional level. The results showed that miR-29a expression negatively correlated with tumor grade of human gliomas; at the same time it inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and promoted apoptosis of glioma cells in vitro. Mechanistically, miR-29a expression was induced by p53, leading to aberrant expression of MDM2 targeted by miR-29a, and finally imbalanced the activity of the p53-miR-29a-MDM2 feedback loop. Moreover, miR-29a regulating p53/MDM2 signaling sensitized the response of glioma cells to temozolomide treatment. Altogether, the study demonstrated a potential molecular mechanism in the tumorigenesis of glioma, while offering a possible target for treating human glioma in the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yarong Guo ◽  
Bao Chai ◽  
Junmei Jia ◽  
Mudan Yang ◽  
Yanjun Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Dysregulation of KLF7 participates in the development of various cancers, but it is unclear whether there is a link between HCC and aberrant expression of KLF7. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of KLF7 in proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Methods CCK8, colony growth, transwell, cell cycle analysis and apoptosis detection were performed to explore the effect of KLF7, VPS35 and Ccdc85c on cell function in vitro. Xenografted tumor growth was used to assess in vivo role of KLF7. Chip-qPCR and luciferase reporter assays were applied to check whether KLF7 regulated VPS35 at transcriptional manner. Co-IP assay was performed to detect the interaction between VPS35 and Ccdc85c. Immunohistochemical staining and qRT-PCR analysis were performed in human HCC sampels to study the clinical significance of KLF7, VPS35 and β-catenin. Results Firstly, KLF7 was highly expressed in human HCC samples and correlated with patients’ differentiation and metastasis status. KLF7 overexpression contributed to cell proliferation and invasion of HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. KLF7 transcriptional activation of VPS35 was necessary for HCC tumor growth and metastasis. Further, co-IP studies revealed that VPS35 could interact with Ccdc85c in HCC cells. Rescue assay confirmed that overexpression of VPS35 and knockdown of Ccdc85c abolished the VPS35-medicated promotion effect on cell proliferation and invasion. Finally, KLF7/VPS35 axis regulated Ccdc85c, which involved in activation of β-catenin signaling pathway, confirmed using β-catenin inhibitor, GK974. Functional studies suggested that downregulation of Ccdc85c partly reversed the capacity of cell proliferation and invasion in HCC cells, which was regulated by VPS35 upregulation. Lastly, there was a positive correlation among KLF7, VPS35 and active-β-catenin in human HCC patients. Conclusion We demonstrated that KLF7/VPS35 axis promoted HCC cell progression by activating Ccdc85c-medicated β-catenin pathway. Targeting this signal axis might be a potential treatment strategy for HCC.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document