MiR-124 Suppresses Growth of Human Colorectal Cancer by Inhibiting STAT3

Emerging evidence indicate that microRNAs (miRNAs) may play important roles in cancer. Aberrant expression of miRNAs has been frequently identified in different human malignancies, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the mechanism by which deregulated miRNAs impact the development of CRC remains largely elusive. In this study, we show that miR-124 is significantly down-regulated in CRC compared to adjacent non-tumor colorectal tissues. MiR-124 suppresses the expression of STAT3 by directly binding to its 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR). Overexpression of miR-124 led to increased apoptosis of CRC cells and reduced tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Knocking down STAT3 expression by specific siRNA suppressed the growth of CRC cells in vitro and in vivo, resembling that of miR-124 overexpression. Moreover, overexpression of STAT3 in miR-124-transfected CRC cells effectively rescued the inhibition of cell proliferation caused by miR-124. These data suggest that miR-124 serves as a tumor suppressor by targeting STAT3, and call for the use of miR-124 as a potential therapeutic tool for CRC, where STAT3 is often hyper-activated.     

MicroRNA-155、microRNA-203 在银屑病患者皮肤中的表达及定位

目的:研究microRNA-155(miR-155)、microRNA-203(miR-203)在银屑病患者皮损区及非皮损区皮肤中的表达及定位。方法:活检切取12名寻常型银屑病患者皮损及邻近非皮损区的皮肤组织,采用石蜡包埋,通过RT-PCR法检测和比较12对标本的皮损区、非皮损区中miR-155、miR-203表达水平,并以5’端、3’端地高辛标记的探针对组织切片中的目的 miRNA进行原位杂交,观察miR-155、miR-203在皮肤组织中的定位情况。结果:12对标本中,miR-155在皮损区的表达显著高于非皮损区,差异具有显著统计学意义(P0.05);而皮损区和非皮损区miR-203的表达未见统计学差异(P0.05)。miR-155在皮肤的表皮、真皮均有表达,定位在细胞核,基底层表达较高;miR-203在基底层和表皮突表达较高,细胞核、细胞质中均有表达。结论:银屑病患者皮损区miR-155的表达显著升高,定位在细胞核,在皮肤的表皮、真皮均表达,可能参与了银屑病的发生发展过程。     

miR-598 对结直肠癌细胞转移潜能的影响

目的:探讨miR-598在结直肠癌转移中的作用和分子机制,为寻找新的结直肠癌治疗靶标提供理论依据。方法:收集30对人结直肠癌及癌旁正常组织标本,采用qRT-PCR检测miR-598的表达,采用Transwell和划痕实验确定miR-598对结直肠癌细胞侵袭和迁移能力的影响,利用在线靶基因预测软件,筛选出miR-598可能的下游靶基因Jagged 1(JAG1),利用Western blot及双荧光素酶报告基因实验检测miR-598对JAG1及上皮间质转化标志物(Vimentin及E-cadherin)表达的影响。结果:与正常肠黏膜组织对比,miR-598在结直肠癌组织中的表达水平明显降低;miR-598显著抑制结直肠癌细胞的侵袭及迁移能力;分子机制分析证实miR-598能够作用于JAG1的3'-UTR并抑制其表达;过表达miR-598显著下调Vimentin的表达水平,而提高E-cadherin的表达水平。结论:miR-598在人结直肠癌中表达明显下调;miR-598通过靶向调控靶基因JAG1的表达,抑制结直肠癌细胞EMT,从而有效的抑制了结直肠癌细胞的侵袭和迁移。     

miR-217慢病毒表达载体及稳转胶质瘤细胞系的构建

目的:构建mi R-217慢病毒表达载体并建立稳定表达mi R-217的胶质瘤细胞系,为深入研究mi R-217在胶质瘤细胞生长及功能中的作用及机制提供条件。方法:利用人基因组中mi R-217前体序列,设计并合成引物。采用PCR的方法扩增含mi R-217前体的目的片段,酶切后连接至慢病毒表达载体p LVX-EGFP-Puro。将带有mi R-217前体的慢病毒载体及辅助质粒用脂质体的方法转染293细胞,24小时后收集上清液测定病毒滴度。利用实时定量PCR检测mi R-217的表达水平,确定慢病毒载体的表达能力。将病毒感染胶质瘤细胞系U251,通过荧光观察和嘌呤霉素(Puromycin)筛选,获得稳定转染mi R-217的胶质瘤细胞系。结果:克隆的mi R-217前体目的片段经PCR检测和测序分析,序列完全正确、无突变。实时定量PCR检测发现慢病毒感染293T细胞后,mi R-217的表达水平明显升高(P0.01),表明mi R-217慢病毒表达载体构建成功。经嘌呤霉素筛选后,荧光显微镜观察发现细胞均有稳定的绿色荧光表达,并且mi R-217的表达水平显著升高(P0.01),是对照组的12.5倍。结论:成功构建了mi R-127慢病毒表达载体和稳转胶质瘤细胞系,为后续研究奠定了良好基础。     

Cyclin B1 Suppresses Colorectal Cancer Invasion and Metastasis by Regulating E-Cadherin

Cyclin B1, a mitotic cyclin, has been implicated in malignances. However, its contribution to colorectal cancer invasion and metastasis are still not well understood. Here, we demonstrated that the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer is regulated by Cyclin B1. Overexpression of Cyclin B1 was observed in colorectal cancer tissues, but this elevated expression was negatively associated with lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis stage, and TNM stage. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis proved that low Cyclin B1 expression was associated with poor overall survival of patients with colorectal cancer. Inhibition of Cyclin B1 in colorectal cancer cells enhanced the cell migration and invasion of three different colorectal cancer cell lines. In studying the possible mechanism by which Cyclin B1 suppresses colorectal cancer invasion and metastasis, we observed that suppression of Cyclin B1 decreased the expression of E-cadherin protein level. Our findings suggest that Cyclin B1 could suppress the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer cells through regulating E-cadherin expression, which enables the development of potential intervention strategies for colorectal cancer.     

MiR-124 Radiosensitizes Human Colorectal Cancer Cells by Targeting PRRX1

One of the challenges in the treatment of colorectal cancer patients is that these tumors show resistance to radiation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in essential biological activities, including chemoresistance and radioresistance. Several research studies have indicated that miRNA played an important role in sensitizing cellular response to ionizing radiation (IR). In this study, we found that miR-124 was significantly down-regulated both in CRC-derived cell lines and clinical CRC samples compared with adjacent non-tumor colorectal tissues, MiR-124 could sensitize human colorectal cancer cells to IR in vitro and in vivo. We identified PRRX1, a new EMT inducer and stemness regulator as a novel direct target of miR-124 by using target prediction algorithms and luciferase assay. PRRX1 knockdown could sensitize CRC cells to IR similar to the effects caused by miR-124. Overexpression of PRRX1 in stably overexpressed-miR-124 cell lines could rescue the effects of radiosensitivity enhancement brought by miR-124. Taking these observations into consideration, we illustrated that miR-124 could increase the radiosensitivity of CRC cells by blocking the expression of PRRX1, which indicated miR-124 could act as a great therapeutic target for CRC patients.     

Inflammation and MiR-21 Pathways Functionally Interact to Downregulate PDCD4 in Colorectal Cancer

Inflammation plays a direct role in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression; however the molecular mechanisms responsible for this effect are unclear. The inflammation induced cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) enzyme required for the production of Prostaglandin E2 (PGE₂), can promote colorectal cancer by decreasing expression of the tumour suppressor gene Programmed Cell Death 4 (PDCD4). As PDCD4 is also a direct target of the oncogene microRNA-21 (miR-21) we investigated the relationship between the COX-2 and miR-21 pathways in colorectal cancer progression. Gene expression profile in tumour and paired normal mucosa from 45 CRC patients demonstrated that up-regulation of COX-2 and miR-21 in tumour tissue correlates with worse Dukes'' stage. In vitro studies in colonic adenocarcinoma cells revealed that treatment with the selective COX-2 inhibitor NS398 significantly decreased miR-21 levels (p = 0.0067) and increased PDCD4 protein levels (p<0.001), whilst treatment with PGE₂ up-regulated miR-21 expression (p = 0.019) and down-regulated PDCD4 protein (p<0.05). These findings indicate that miR-21 is a component of the COX-2 inflammation pathway and that this pathway promotes worsening of disease stage in colorectal cancer by inducing accumulation of PGE₂ and increasing expression of miR-21 with consequent downregulation of the tumour suppressor gene PDCD4.     

MiR-203 及其调控机制的研究进展

MicroRNA(miRNA)是一种长18-25个碱基的单链非编码RNA,其广泛参与机体众多病理、生理过程。MiR-203是一种上皮组织特异性表达的miRNA。研究发现miR-203在皮肤发育、皮肤相关疾病、上皮组织肿瘤等病理、生理过程中发挥重要调控作用。一些疾病的研究还发现了miR-203与表观遗传学机制的相互作用,而miR-203调控机制的研究集中在P63、SOCS-3及相关的信号通路等方面。     

IgG Expression in Human Colorectal Cancer and Its Relationship to Cancer Cell Behaviors

Increasing evidence indicates that various cancer cell types are capable of producing IgG. The exact function of cancer-derived IgG has, however, not been elucidated. Here we demonstrated the expression of IgG genes with V(D)J recombination in 80 cases of colorectal cancers, 4 colon cancer cell lines and a tumor bearing immune deficient mouse model. IgG expression was associated with tumor differentiation, pTNM stage, lymph node involvement and inflammatory infiltration and positively correlated with the expressions of Cyclin D1, NF-κB and PCNA. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of cancer-derived IgG on the malignant behaviors of colorectal cancer cells and showed that blockage of IgG resulted in increased apoptosis and negatively affected the potential for anchor-independent colony formation and cancer cell invasion. These findings suggest that IgG synthesized by colorectal cancer cells is involved in the development and growth of colorectal cancer and blockage of IgG may be a potential therapy in treating this cancer.     

MicroRNA-217 Regulates WASF3 Expression and Suppresses Tumor Growth and Metastasis in Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is the most common type of primary tumor of bone which mainly affects adolescents and young adults. Osteosarcoma causes large number of deaths because of its complex pathogenesis and resistance to conventional treatment. MicroRNAs are a class of small noncoding RNAs that function as critical gene regulators through targeting mRNAs, causing translational repression or degradation. In this study, we showed that miR-217 was down-regulated in osteosarcoma cell lines and tissues in comparison to that in normal bone cells or tissues. Meanwhile, the lower level of miR-217 was associated with metastasis in clinical osteosarcoma patients. Furthermore, we found that overexpession of miR-217 markedly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma cells. Conversely, the inhibition of miR-217 expression significantly accelerated the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Moreover, we identified WASF3 as a novel functional downstream target of miR-217. The ectopic expression of WASF3 can partially reverse the inhibition of cell proliferation and invasion caused by miR-217. Take together, our results demonstrate that miR-217 functions as a tumor-suppressive miRNA and inhibits the osteosarcoma tumorigenesis through targeting WASF3.     

The Clinical Significance of MiR-148a as a Predictive Biomarker in Patients with Advanced Colorectal Cancer

Aim

Development of robust prognostic and/or predictive biomarkers in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) is imperative for advancing treatment strategies for this disease. We aimed to determine whether expression status of certain miRNAs might have prognostic/predictive value in CRC patients treated with conventional cytotoxic chemotherapies.

Methods

We studied a cohort of 273 CRC specimens from stage II/III patients treated with 5-fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy and stage IV patients subjected to 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. In a screening set (n = 44), 13 of 21 candidate miRNAs were successfully quantified by multiplex quantitative RT-PCR. In the validation set comprising of the entire patient cohort, miR-148a expression status was assessed by quantitative RT-PCR, and its promoter methylation was quantified by bisulfite pyrosequencing. Lastly, we analyzed the associations between miR-148a expression and patient survival.

Results

Among the candidate miRNAs studied, miR-148a expression was most significantly down-regulated in advanced CRC tissues. In stage III and IV CRC, low miR-148a expression was associated with significantly shorter disease free-survival (DFS), a worse therapeutic response, and poor overall survival (OS). Furthermore, miR-148a methylation status correlated inversely with its expression, and was associated with worse survival in stage IV CRC. In multivariate analysis, miR-148a expression was an independent prognostic/predictive biomarker for advanced CRC patients (DFS in stage III, low vs. high expression, HR 2.11; OS in stage IV, HR 1.93).

Discussion

MiR-148a status has a prognostic/predictive value in advanced CRC patients treated with conventional chemotherapy, which has important clinical implications in improving therapeutic strategies and personalized management of this malignancy.     

MicroRNA-203在结直肠癌研究中的进展

结直肠癌是我国常见的消化道恶性肿瘤。目前认为结直肠癌的形成是一个多因素、多步骤的过程,其具体发病机制尚不清楚。microRNA是一类非编码小分子RNA,能在转录后水平调控靶基因的表达,参与肿瘤的增殖、侵袭和转移,甚至调节肿瘤化疗敏感性。学者普遍认为mircroRNA-203(mir-203)是抗癌小分子RNA,但与以往不同的是mir-203在结直肠癌肿的表达水平仍存在争议。本文将概述mir-203在结直肠癌的发生、发展、诊断、预后以及药物抗性中发挥的各类生物学作用。阐述mir-203在结直肠癌不同信号通路中的作用,探索其在结直肠癌研究中的全部潜能。