The high expression of miR-31 in lung adenocarcinoma inhibits the malignancy of lung adenocarcinoma tumor stem cells

Therapies for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) are mainly limited by drug resistance, metastasis or recurrence related to cancer stem cells (CSCs) with high proliferation and self-renewing. This research validated that miR-31 was over-expressed in LUAD by the analysis of generous clinical samples data. And the results of clinical data analysis showed that high expression of miR-31 was more common in patients with worse prognosis. The genes differentially expressed in LUAD tissues compared with normal tissues and A549CD133⁺ cells (LUAD CSCs) compared with A549 cells were separately screened from Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis and GEO datasets. The target genes that may play a role in the regulation of lung adenocarcinoma was screened by comparison between the differential genes and the target genes of miR-31. The functional enrichment analysis of GO Biological Processes showed that the expression of target genes related to cell proliferation was increased, while the expression of target genes related to cell invasion and metastasis was decreased in LUAD tissues and A549CD133⁺ cells. The results suggested that miR-31 may have a significant inhibitory effect on the differentiation, invasion, metastasis and adhesion of LUAD CSCs, which was verified in vivo and in vitro experiments. Knock down of miR-31 accelerated xenograft tumor growth and liver metastasis in vivo. Likewise, the carcinogenicity, invasion and metastasis of A549CD133⁺ CSCs were promoted after miR-31 knockdown. The study validated that miR-31 was up regulated in LUAD and its expression may affect the survival time of patients with lung adenocarcinoma, which indicated that miR-31 may have potential value for diagnosis and prognosis of LUAD. However, the inhibitory effect of miR-31 on tumorigenesis, invasion and metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma CSCs suggested its complexity in the regulation of lung adenocarcinoma, which may be related to its extensive regulation of various target genes.     

miR-200 Inhibits lung adenocarcinoma cell invasion and metastasis by targeting Flt1/VEGFR1

The microRNA-200 (miR-200) family is part of a gene expression signature that predicts poor prognosis in lung cancer patients. In a mouse model of K-ras/p53-mutant lung adenocarcinoma, miR-200 levels are suppressed in metastasis-prone tumor cells, and forced miR-200 expression inhibits tumor growth and metastasis, but the miR-200 target genes that drive lung tumorigenesis have not been fully elucidated. Here, we scanned the genome for putative miR-200 binding sites and found them in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of 35 genes that are amplified in human cancer. Mining of a database of resected human lung adenocarcinomas revealed that the levels of one of these genes, Flt1/VEGFR1, correlate inversely with duration of survival. Forced miR-200 expression suppressed Flt1 levels in metastasis-prone lung adenocarcinoma cells derived from K-ras/p53-mutant mice, and negatively regulated the Flt1 3'-UTR in reporter assays. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) isolated from murine lung adenocarcinomas secreted abundant VEGF and enhanced tumor cell invasion in coculture studies. CAF-induced tumor cell invasion was abrogated by VEGF neutralization or Flt1 knockdown in tumor cells. Flt1 knockdown decreased the growth and metastasis of tumor cells in syngeneic mice. We conclude that miR-200 suppresses lung tumorigenesis by targeting Flt1.     

MicroRNA-29a suppresses the growth,migration, and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells by targeting carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 6

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 6 (CEACAM6) is an important regulator of cell adhesion, invasion, and metastasis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional roles of CEACAM6 in lung adenocarcinoma and to identify miRNAs that inhibit the growth, migration, and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells by targeting CEACAM6. CEACAM6 expression is associated with poor prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma, and CEACAM6 has important functional roles in controlling the growth, migration, and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, miR-29a can suppress the growth, migration, and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells by targeting CEACAM6. Therefore, miR-29a/CEACAM6 axis represents a potential therapeutic target for treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.     

High-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization of chromosome 8q: evaluation of putative progression markers for gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinomas

Amplification of 8q is frequently found in gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer. It is usually detected in high-grade, high-stage GEJ adenocarcinomas. Moreover, it has been implicated in tumor progression in other cancer types. In this study, a detailed genomic analysis of 8q was performed on a series of GEJ adenocarcinomas, including 22 primary adenocarcinomas, 13 cell lines and two xenografts, by array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) with a whole chromosome 8q contig array. Of the 37 specimens, 21 originated from the esophagus and 16 were derived from the gastric cardia. Commonly overrepresented regions were identified at distal 8q, i.e. 124-125 Mb (8q24.13), at 127-128 Mb (8q24.21), and at 141-142 Mb (8q24.3). From these regions six genes were selected with putative relevance to cancer: ANXA13, MTSS1, FAM84B (alias NSE2), MYC, C8orf17 (alias MOST-1) and PTK2 (alias FAK). In addition, the gene EXT1 was selected since it was found in a specific amplification in cell line SK-GT-5. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of these seven genes was subsequently performed on a panel of 24 gastroesophageal samples, including 13 cell lines, two xenografts and nine normal stomach controls. Significant overexpression was found for MYC and EXT1 in GEJ adenocarcinoma cell lines and xenografts compared to normal controls. Expression of the genes MTSS1, FAM84B and C8orf17 was found to be significantly decreased in this set of cell lines and xenografts. We conclude that, firstly, there are other genes than MYC involved in the 8q amplification in GEJ cancer. Secondly, the differential expression of these genes contributes to unravel the biology of GEJ adenocarcinomas.     

XB130, a New Adaptor Protein,Regulates Expression of Tumor Suppressive MicroRNAs in Cancer Cells

XB130, a novel adaptor protein, promotes cell growth by controlling expression of many related genes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which are frequently mis-expressed in cancer cells, regulate expression of targeted genes. In this present study, we aimed to explore the oncogenic mechanism of XB130 through miRNAs regulation. We analyzed miRNA expression in XB130 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) stably transfected WRO thyroid cancer cells by a miRNA array assay, and 16 miRNAs were up-regulated and 22 miRNAs were down-regulated significantly in these cells, in comparison with non-transfected or negative control shRNA transfected cells. We chose three of the up-regulated miRNAs (miR-33a, miR-149 and miR-193a-3p) and validated them by real-time qRT-PCR. Ectopic overexpression of XB130 suppressed these 3 miRNAs in MRO cells, a cell line with very low expression of XB130. Furthermore, we transfected miR mimics of these 3 miRNAs into WRO cells. They negatively regulated expression of oncogenes (miR-33a: MYC, miR-149: FOSL1, miR-193a-3p: SLC7A5), by targeting their 3′ untranslated region, and reduced cell growth. Our results suggest that XB130 could promote growth of cancer cells by regulating expression of tumor suppressive miRNAs and their targeted genes.     

miR-146b Reverses epithelial-mesenchymal transition via targeting PTP1B in cisplatin-resistance human lung adenocarcinoma cells

Epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) is associated with drug resistance in human lung adenocarcinoma cells, but its specific mechanism has not been clarified. In this study, we investigated the effect of miRNA-146b on EMT in cisplatin (DDP) resistant human lung adenocarcinoma cells and the corresponding mechanism. Cisplatin resistant (CR) human lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549/DDP and H1299/DDP) were established, and the EMT characteristics and invasion and metastasis ability of CR cells were determined by tumor cell-related biological behavior experiments. The role of miR-146b in EMT of CR cells was determined by in vitro functional test. The targeted binding of miR-146b to protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) was verified by biological information and double luciferin gene reporting experiments. The effect of miR-146b on tumor growth and EMT phenotype in vivo was investigated by establishing the xenotransplantation mouse model. Compared with the control group, H1299/DDP and A549/DDP cells showed the enhanced EMT phenotypes, invasion and migration ability. Besides, miR-146b was lowly expressed in H1299/DDP and A549/DDP cells. More importantly, overexpressed miR-146b could specifically bind to PTP1B, thus inhibiting the EMT process and ultimately reducing CR in H1299/DDP and A549/DDP cells. Finally, overexpressed miR-146b observably inhibited tumor growth in xenograft model mice and inhibited the EMT phenotype of A549/DDP cells in vivo by regulating the expressions of EMT-related proteins. Overexpressed miR-146b could reverse the EMT phenotype of CR lung adenocarcinoma cells by targeting PTP1B, providing new therapeutic directions for CR of lung adenocarcinoma cells.     

A novel autophagy-related lncRNA survival model for lung adenocarcinoma

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is an important regulatory factor in the development of lung adenocarcinoma, which is related to the control of autophagy. LncRNA can also be used as a biomarker of prognosis in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Therefore, it is important to determine the prognostic value of autophagy-related lncRNA in lung adenocarcinoma. In this study, autophagy-related mRNAs-lncRNAs were screened from lung adenocarcinoma and a co-expression network of autophagy-related mRNAs-lncRNAs was constructed by using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses were used to evaluate the prognostic value of the autophagy-related lncRNAs and finally obtained a survival model composed of 11 autophagy-related lncRNAs. Through Kaplan-Meier analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, it was further verified that the survival model was a new independent prognostic factor for patients with lung adenocarcinoma. In addition, based on the survival model, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to illustrate the function of genes in low-risk and high-risk groups. These 11 lncRNAs were GAS6-AS1, AC106047.1, AC010980.2, AL034397.3, NKILA, AL606489.1, HLA-DQB1-AS1, LINC01116, LINC01806, FAM83A-AS1 and AC090559.1. The hazard ratio (HR) of the risk score was 1.256 (1.196-1.320) (P < .001) in univariate Cox regression analysis and 1.215 (1.149-1.286) (P < .001) in multivariate Cox regression analysis. And the AUC value of the risk score was 0.809. The 11 autophagy-related lncRNA survival models had important predictive value for the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma and may become clinical autophagy-related therapeutic targets.     

MARVELD1调控内含子miR-186、miR-335表达的研究

目的:前期研究发现,MARVELD1(具有囊泡运输和膜连接功能的MAL及相关蛋白1)在多种肿瘤细胞中表达下调,许多micro RNAs也随其发生变化。本研究探讨了MARVELD1调控mi R-186和mi R-335的表达方式。方法:本研究选取了多种肺癌细胞系,运用q RT-PCR的方法检测了MARVELD1以及mi R-186和mi R-335的表达情况,通过MARVELD1过表达体系和si RNA干扰MARVELD1表达的体系分析mi R-186和mi R-335表达变化情况,运用生物信息学网站对mi R-186和mi R-335进行分析,确认其是否为内含子mi RNA,并进一步应用MARVELD1过表达和RNAi体系检测MARVELD1对mi R-186和mi R-335的宿主基因的影响。结果:在肺癌细胞中,MARVELD1与mi R-186、mi R-335的表达呈现明显的正相关。在过表达MARVELD1之后,mi R-186、mi R-335出现高表达;当下调MARVELD1表达时,mi R-186、mi R-335则表现低表达。生物信息学分析发现mi R-186和mi R-335均为内含子mi RNA。进一步分析MARVELD1与mi R-186和mi R-335宿主基因的表达关系显示,MARVELD1可以上调它们的宿主基因的表达。结论:上述结果表明,MARVELD1可通过影响内含子mi R-186和mi R-335的宿主基因进而调控二者的表达,为进一步研究MARVELD1影响肿瘤细胞的发生机制奠定了基础。     

The Overexpression of FEN1 and RAD54B May Act as Independent Prognostic Factors of Lung Adenocarcinoma

Synthetic lethality arises when a combination of mutations in two or more genes leads to cell death. However, the prognostic role of concordant overexpression of synthetic lethality genes in protein level rather than a combination of mutations is not clear. In this study, we explore the prognostic role of combined overexpression of paired genes in lung adenocarcinoma. We used immunohistochemical staining to investigate 24 paired genes in 93 lung adenocarcinoma patients and Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate their prognostic roles. Among 24 paired genes, only FEN1 (Flap endonuclease 1) and RAD54B (RAD54 homolog B) were overexpressed in lung adenocarcinoma patients with poor prognosis. Patients with expression of both FEN1 and RAD54B were prone to have advanced nodal involvement and significantly poor prognosis (HR = 2.35, P = 0.0230). These results suggest that intensive follow up and targeted therapy might improve clinical outcome for patients who show expression of both FEN1 and RAD54B.     

磷酸丝氨酸氨基转移酶1介导肺腺癌细胞粘附及其机制探究

摘要 目的：探究丝氨酸生物合成途径（SSP）关键酶磷酸丝氨酸氨基转移酶1（PSAT1）与肺腺癌细胞粘附的关系，并初步探讨其作用机制。方法：使用siRNA抑制PSAT1蛋白表达，观察肺腺癌细胞形态以及粘附变化，同时过表达PSAT1，反向观察PSAT1对肺腺癌细胞粘附的影响。初步探究其作用机制，采用免疫共沉淀-蛋白质谱法寻找与PSAT1直接相互作用的蛋白，筛选差异蛋白，并在过表达细胞体系中验证。结合临床公共数据库分析互作蛋白与患者预后关系。结果：发现敲低PSAT1引起肺腺癌细胞形态改变；敲低PSAT1抑制肺腺癌PC9、HCC827细胞粘附；过表达PSAT1增强PC9及HCC827细胞粘附；免疫共沉淀-蛋白质谱检测到2560个可能与PSAT1结合的蛋白，进一步通过免疫共沉淀-免疫印迹法验证PSAT1过表达使细胞中与间皮素（MSLN）结合显著上升；通过临床样本数据观察PSAT1与MSLN共同高表达的肺腺癌患者，其预后更差。结论：本文首次报道PSAT1可能通过与MSLN等蛋白-蛋白相互作用影响肺腺癌细胞粘附的新机制，提示PSAT1有望成为潜在抗肿瘤靶点，靶向其相互作用蛋白能为小分子抑制剂设计及患者个体化治疗提供新思路。     

miR-210 promotes lung adenocarcinoma proliferation,migration, and invasion by targeting lysyl oxidase-like 4

Accumulating evidence has revealed that various microRNAs are deregulated and involved in lung cancer development and metastasis. miR-210 is implicated in several cancer progression. However, the detailed biological function and role of miR-210 in lung adenocarcinoma remains unclear. Our current study was aimed to investigate the mechanism of miR-210 in lung adenocarcinoma progression. We observed that miR-210 was significantly upregulated in lung cancer cell lines (A549 and H1650) in comparison to BEAS-2B cells. In addition, we found that miR-210 was greatly elevated in lung adenocarcinoma tissues. Then, it was shown that overexpression of miR-210 was able to promote lung cancer cell proliferation and colony formation ability while inhibitors of miR-210 exhibited a reversed phenomenon. Subsequently, A549 and H1650 cell migration and invasion capacity were obviously restrained by miR-210 inhibition whereas induced by miR-210 mimics. Lysyl oxidase-like 4 (LOXL4), a member of the secreted copper-dependent amine oxidases has been found to be increased or decreased in different cancer types. Here, we confirmed that LOXL4 could serve as a downstream target of miR-210 and miR-210 promoted lung cancer progression via targeting LOXL4. In A549 and H1650 cells, knockdown of LOXL4 dramatically repressed lung cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In conclusion, our study implied that miR-210 might indicate a new perspective for lung cancer.     

Comparative profiling of miRNA expression of lung adenocarcinoma cells in two-dimensional and three-dimensional cultures

Three-dimensional organotypic culture using reconstituted basement membrane matrix (rBM 3-D) is an invaluable tool to characterize morphogenesis of epithelial cells and to elucidate the tumor-modulating actions of extracellular matrix. microRNAs (miRNA) are a novel class of tumor modulating genes. A substantial amount of investigation of miRNAs in cancer is carried out using monolayer 2-D culture on plastic substratum, which lacks a consideration of the matrix-mediated regulation of miRNAs. In the current study we compared the expression of miRNAs in rBM 3-D and 2-D cultures of two lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. Our findings revealed a profound difference in miRNA profiles between 2-D and rBM 3-D cultures of lung adenocarcinoma cells. The rBM 3-D culture-specific miRNA profile was highlighted with higher expression of the tumor suppressive miRNAs (i.e., miR-200 family) and lower expression of the oncogenic miRNAs (i.e., miR-17–92 cluster and miR-21) than that of 2-D culture. Moreover, the expression pattern of miR-17, miR-21, and miR-200a in rBM 3-D culture correlated with the expression of their targets and acinar morphogenesis, a differentiation behavior of lung epithelial cells in rBM 3-D culture. Over-expression of miR-21 suppressed its target PTEN and disrupted acinar morphogenesis. In summary, we provide the first miRNA profile of lung adenocarcinoma cells in rBM 3-D culture with respect to acinar morphogenesis. These results indicate that rBM 3-D culture is essential to a comprehensive understanding of the miRNA biology in lung epithelial cells pertinent to lung adenocarcinoma.     

Long non-coding FAM201A accelerates the tumorigenesis and progression of colorectal cancer through miR-3163/MACC1 axis

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading contributor to cancer-relevant deaths worldwide with severe incidence and mortality. An extensive body of evidence has demonstrated that lncRNA plays a critical role in the oncogenicity of CRC. Despite the oncogenic function of FAM201A in esophageal squamous cell cancer and non-small-cell lung cancer, the potential of FAM201A in CRC progression remains unknown. FAM201A expression level was significantly enhanced in CRC cells compared with normal cells. Further, functional experiments illustrated that knockdown of FAM201A restrained cell growth, stemness and promoted chemoresistance of CRC cells. By exploring molecular mechanism of FAM201A, we found that FAM201A acted as a sponge of miR-3163. More importantly, oncogene MACC1 was confirmed to be a direct target of miR-3163 and FAM201A modulated MACC1 expression level via competing for miR-3163. Subsequently, we testified that FAM201A exerted its role in the tumorigenesis and development of CRC through targeting miR-3163/MACC1. Animal assay certified that FAM201A expedited CRC cell growth in vivo. In conclusion, our study was the first to unveil that FAM201A promoted cell proliferation and CSC characteristics in CRC via regulation of the miR-3163/MACC1 axis, which provided clues for the clinical treatment of patients with this disease.