scholarly journals Onco-miR-21 Promotes Stat3-Dependent Gastric Cancer Progression

Cancers ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 264
Author(s):  
Janson Tse ◽  
Thomas Pierce ◽  
Annalisa L. E. Carli ◽  
Mariah G. Alorro ◽  
Stefan Thiem ◽  
...  

MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) is a small, non-coding RNA overexpressed in gastric cancer and many other solid malignancies, where it exhibits both pro-and anti-tumourigenic properties. However, the pathways regulating miR-21 and the consequences of its inhibition in gastric cancer remain incompletely understood. By exploiting the spontaneous Stat3-dependent formation of inflammation-associated gastric tumors in Gp130F/F mice, we functionally established miR-21 as a Stat3-controlled driver of tumor growth and progression. We reconciled our discoveries by identifying several conserved Stat3 binding motifs upstream of the miR-21 gene promoter, and showed that the systemic administration of a miR-21-specific antisense oligonucleotide antagomir reduced the established gastric tumor burden in Gp130F/F mice. We molecularly delineated the therapeutic benefits of miR-21 inhibition with the functional restoration of PTEN in vitro and in vivo, alongside an attenuated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and the extracellular matrix remodeling phenotype of tumors. We corroborated our preclinical findings by correlating high STAT3 and miR-21 expression with the reduced survival probability of gastric cancer patients. Collectively, our results provide a molecular framework by which miR-21 mediates inflammation-associated gastric cancer progression, and establish miR-21 as a robust therapeutic target for solid malignancies characterized by excessive Stat3 activity.

Author(s):  
Ziwei Ji ◽  
Tianbin Tang ◽  
Mengxia Chen ◽  
Buyuan Dong ◽  
Wenjing Sun ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Growing evidence shows that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play significant roles in cancer development. However, the functions of most lncRNAs in human gastric cancer are still not fully understood. Here, we explored the role of a novel c-Myc-activated lncRNA, LINC01050, in gastric cancer progression. Methods The expression of LINC01050 in the context of gastric cancer was assessed using The Cancer Genome Atlas datasets. Its functions in gastric cancer were investigated through gain- and loss-of-function experiments combined with the Cell Counting Kit-8 assays, colony-forming assays, Transwell assays, flow cytometry, Western blot analyses, and xenograft tumor and mouse metastasis models. Potential LINC01050 transcription activators were screened via bioinformatics and validated by chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase assays. The interaction between LINC01050 and miR-7161-3p and the targets of miR-7161-3p were predicted by bioinformatics analysis and confirmed by a luciferase assay, RNA immunoprecipitation, RNA pull-down, and rescue experiments. Results LINC01050 was significantly up-regulated in gastric cancer, and its high expression was positively correlated with a poor prognosis. The transcription factor c-Myc was found to directly bind to the LINC01050 promoter region and activate its transcription. Furthermore, overexpression of LINC01050 was confirmed to promote gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. At the same time, its knockdown inhibited gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in vitro along with tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Moreover, mechanistic investigations revealed that LINC01050 functions as a molecular sponge to absorb cytosolic miR-7161-3p, which reduces the miR-7161-3p-mediated translational repression of SPZ1, thus contributing to gastric cancer progression. Conclusions Taken together, our results identified a novel gastric cancer-associated lncRNA, LINC01050, which is activated by c-Myc. LINC01050 may be considered a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Jun Wang ◽  
Zhigang He ◽  
Bo Sun ◽  
Wenhai Huang ◽  
Jianbin Xiang ◽  
...  

Pleckstrin-2 (PLEK2) is a crucial mediator of cytoskeletal reorganization. However, the potential roles of PLEK2 in gastric cancer are still unknown. PLEK2 expression in gastric cancer was examined by western blotting and real-time PCR. Survival analysis was utilized to test the clinical impacts of the levels of PLEK2 in gastric cancer patients. In vitro and in vivo studies were used to estimate the potential roles played by PLEK2 in modulating gastric cancer proliferation, self-renewal, and tumourigenicity. Bioinformatics approaches were used to monitor the effect of PLEK2 on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signalling pathways. PLEK2 expression was significantly upregulated in gastric cancer as compared with nontumour samples. Kaplan-Meier plotter analysis revealed that gastric cancer patients with higher PLEK2 levels had substantially poorer overall survival compared with gastric cancer patients with lower PLEK2 levels. The upregulation or downregulation of PLEK2 in gastric cancer cell lines effectively enhanced or inhibited cell proliferation and proinvasive behaviour, respectively. Additionally, we also found that PLEK2 enhanced EMT through downregulating E-cadherin expression and upregulating Vimentin expression. Our findings demonstrated that PLEK2 plays a potential role in gastric cancer and may be a novel therapeutic target for gastric cancer.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1088 ◽  
Author(s):  
I-Han Wang ◽  
Tzu-Ting Huang ◽  
Ji-Lin Chen ◽  
Li-Wei Chu ◽  
Yueh-Hsin Ping ◽  
...  

The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase 1 (HMGCS1) is a potential regulatory node in the mevalonate pathway that is frequently dysregulated in tumors. This study found that HMGCS1 expression is upregulated in stomach adenocarcinoma samples of patients and tumorspheres of gastric cancer cells. HMGCS1 elevates the expression levels of the pluripotency genes Oct4 and SOX-2 and contributes to tumorsphere formation ability in gastric cancer cells. HMGCS1 also promotes in vitro cell growth and progression and the in vivo tumor growth and lung metastasis of gastric cancer cells. After blocking the mevalonate pathway by statin and dipyridamole, HMGCS1 exerts nonmetabolic functions in enhancing gastric cancer progression. Furthermore, the level and nuclear translocation of HMGCS1 in gastric cancer cells are induced by serum deprivation. HMGCS1 binds to and activates Oct4 and SOX-2 promoters. HMGCS1 also enhances the integrated stress response (ISR) and interacts with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress transducer protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK). Our results reveal that HMGCS1 contributes to gastric cancer progression in both metabolic and nonmetabolic manners.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shihua Wu ◽  
Feng Liu ◽  
Liming Xie ◽  
Yaling Peng ◽  
Xiaoyuan Lv ◽  
...  

Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying gastric cancer progression contributes to the development of novel targeted therapies. In this study, we found that the expression levels of miR-125b were strongly downregulated in gastric cancer and associated with clinical stage and the presence of lymph node metastases. Additionally, miR-125b could independently predict OS and DFS in gastric cancer. We further found that upregulation of miR-125b inhibited the proliferation and metastasis of gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. miR-125b elicits these responses by directly targeting MCL1 (myeloid cell leukemia 1), which results in a marked reduction in MCL1 expression. Transfection of miR-125b sensitizes gastric cancer cells to 5-FU-induced apoptosis. By understanding the function and molecular mechanisms of miR-125b in gastric cancer, we may learn that miR-125b has the therapeutic potential to suppress gastric cancer progression and increase drug sensitivity to gastric cancer.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 322-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaojiao Hu ◽  
Yingying Qian ◽  
Lipan Peng ◽  
Ling Ma ◽  
Tianzhu Qiu ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: LncRNA EGFR-AS1 is an antisense transcript of EGFR, which plays a key role in gastric cancer progression. This study was aimed to explore the effects of lncRNA EGFR-AS1 on GC and the underling mechanisms. Methods: The silencing of EGFR-AS1 expression was performed by using EGFR-AS1 shRNA lentivirus in MGC803 and SGC-7901 GC cell. The levels of lncRNA EGFR-AS1 and EGFR were detected by qPCR and western blot. Cell proliferation was assessed by CCK-8, EdU, and colony formation assays. The EGFR mRNA stability was explored by using RNA synthesis inhibitor α-amanitin. Results: In our study, EGFR-AS1 significantly up-regulated in GC tissues and correlated with tumor size. And the expression of EGFR-AS1 positively correlated with EGFR in tissues. Moreover, knock-down of EGFR-AS1 inhibited the proliferation of GC cells via suppressing EGFR-dependent PI3K/AKT pathway in vitro and in vivo. Mechanismly, depletion of EGFR-AS1 was found to decrease EGFR expression by reduction of EGFR mRNA stability. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that EGFR-AS1 might have an oncogenic effect on GC and serve as a potential target of GC.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiting Sun ◽  
Song Li ◽  
Wenbin Yu ◽  
Zeyi Zhao ◽  
Jing Gao ◽  
...  

Abstract N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most common epigenetic RNA modification with essential roles in cancer progression. However, roles of m6A and its regulator METTL3 on non-coding RNA in gastric cancer are unknown. In this study, we found elevated levels of m6A and METTL3 in gastric cancer. Increased METTL3 expression indicated poor outcomes of patients and high malignancy in vitro and in vivo. Mechanically, m6A facilitated processing of pri-miR-17-92 into the miR-17-92 cluster through an m6A/DGCR8-dependent mechanism. The m6A modification that mediated this process occurred on the A879 locus of pri-miR-17-92. The miR-17-92 cluster activated the AKT/mTOR pathway by targeting PTEN or TMEM127. Compared with those with low levels of METTL3, METTL3-high tumors showed preferred sensitivity to an mTOR inhibitor, everolimus. These results reveal a perspective on epigenetic regulations of non-coding RNA in gastric cancer progression and provide a theoretical rationale for use of everolimus in the treatment of m6A/METTL3-high gastric cancer.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinglong Dai ◽  
Jianjun Liu ◽  
Xiong Guo ◽  
Anqi Cheng ◽  
Xiaoya Deng ◽  
...  

Background: Mounting evidence has displayed critical roles of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in multiple cancers. The underlying mechanisms by which circFGD4 contributed to gastric cancer (GC) are still unclear. Methods: The levels and clinical values of circFGD4 in GC patients were detected and analysed by quantitative real-time PCR. The biological roles of circFGD4 in GC were assessed in vitro and in vivo experiments. Dual-luciferase reporter, fluorescence in situ hybridization, RNA immunoprecipitation, biotin-coupled RNA pull-down, and TOP/Flash and FOP/Flash reporter gene assays were employed to evaluate the effects of circFGD4 on miR-532-3p-mediated adenomatous polyposis coli (APC)/β-catenin signalling in GC cells. Results: circFGD4 expression was down-regulated the most in human GC tissues and cell lines. Low expression of circFGD4 was correlated with poor tumour differentiation, lymphatic metastasis, and poor prognosis of GC patients. circFGD4 suppressed GC cell viability, colony formation, migration, induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumorigenesis and metastasis in vivo. Next, we validated that circFGD4 acted as a sponge of miR-532-3p to relieve the tumour-promoting effects of miR-532-3p on its target APC. The mechanistic analysis demonstrated that the circFGD4 suppressed GC cell viability, migration, and EMT by modulating the miR-532-3p/APC axis to inactivate the β-catenin signalling. Conclusion: circFGD4 suppressed GC progression through sponging miR-532-3p and enhancing APC expression to inactivate the β-catenin signalling. Thus circFGD4 provides a novel potential biomarker and valuable therapeutic strategy for GC.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Yang ◽  
Anpei Hu ◽  
Dan Li ◽  
Jianqun Wang ◽  
Yanhua Guo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a subclass of non-coding RNAs, play essential roles in tumorigenesis and aggressiveness. Our previous study has identified that circAGO2 drives gastric cancer progression through activating human antigen R (HuR), a protein stabilizing AU-rich element-containing mRNAs. However, the functions and underlying mechanisms of circRNAs derived from HuR in gastric cancer progression remain elusive. Methods CircRNAs derived from HuR were detected by real-time quantitative RT-PCR and validated by Sanger sequencing. Biotin-labeled RNA pull-down, mass spectrometry, RNA immunoprecipitation, RNA electrophoretic mobility shift, and in vitro binding assays were applied to identify proteins interacting with circRNA. Gene expression regulation was observed by chromatin immunoprecipitation, dual-luciferase assay, real-time quantitative RT-PCR, and western blot assays. Gain- and loss-of-function studies were performed to observe the impacts of circRNA and its protein partner on the growth, invasion, and metastasis of gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Results Circ-HuR (hsa_circ_0049027) was predominantly detected in the nucleus, and was down-regulated in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines. Ectopic expression of circ-HuR suppressed the growth, invasion, and metastasis of gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circ-HuR interacted with CCHC-type zinc finger nucleic acid binding protein (CNBP), and subsequently restrained its binding to HuR promoter, resulting in down-regulation of HuR and repression of tumor progression. Conclusions Circ-HuR serves as a tumor suppressor to inhibit CNBP-facilitated HuR expression and gastric cancer progression, indicating a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Songda Chen ◽  
Huijie Wu ◽  
Lingyu Zhu ◽  
Mengjie Jiang ◽  
Shuli Wei ◽  
...  

ObjectivesGastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant tumors. More and more evidences support the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in tumor progression. However, the role of miRNAs in human GC remains largely unknown.MethodsBased on the published gastric cancer expression profile data, combined with bioinformatics analysis, potential miRNAs in the process of GC were screened. The expression of miR-199b-5p in GC cells and patients’ plasma was detected by RT-PCR. The effects of miR-199b-5p on GC in vitro were detected by EdU proliferation assay, colony formation assay, Transwell assay and wound healing assay. Western blot was used to detect epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) related proteins. The subcutaneous tumorigenesis model and metastatic tumor model of mice were used to study its effect in vivo. Bioinformatics and Dual luciferase reporter assay were used to verify the effect of miR-199b-5p and its target gene.ResultsThrough bioinformatics analysis, we screened a novel miRNA miR-199b-5p that was significantly up-regulated in GC tissue and associated with poor prognosis of GC patients. RT-PCR results showed that its expression was also up-regulated in GC cell lines and patients’ plasma. MiR-199b-5p can significantly promote GC cell proliferation and migration in vitro and in vivo. Western blot showed that miR-199b-5p could promote the EMT process of GC. HHIP has been proved to be a target of miR-199b-5p, and the recovery of HHIP can weaken the effect of miR-199b-5p.ConclusionMiR-199b-5p may play an oncogene role in GC by targeting HHIP, suggesting that miR-199b-5p may be a potential therapeutic target for GC.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianbing Hou ◽  
Yudong Liu ◽  
Du Yan ◽  
Pan Huang ◽  
Zhongze Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND: Zinc finger CCCH-type containing 15 (ZC3H15), a highly conserved eukaryotic protein, was involved in tumorigenesis and may be a potential biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the biological role of ZC3H15 in gastric cancer (GC) is unclear.METHODS: The potential correlation between ZC3H15 expression and GC prognosis was assessed based on the patient data analysis. The biological role of ZC3H15 in regulating cell proliferation and metastasis was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the potential mechanism of ZC3H15 was investigated. RESULTS: we found that ZC3H15 expression was positively correlated with GC progression, including cell growth, metastasis and cancerogenesis. Through further investigations, we found that ZC3H15 could modulate c-Myc protein stability via suppressing the transcription of FBXW7, which was mainly responsible for c-Myc degradation. In addition, we revealed that miR-124-3p, a tumor suppressor of GC, was negatively associated with ZC3H15. We revealed that miR-124-3p was a critical upstream modulator of ZC3H15 in GC.CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our studies unearth the important roles of ZC3H15 in GC development and suggest that miR-124-3p/ZC3H15/c-Myc axis may be a potential target for the treatment of GC.


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