膀胱癌中miR-9对CBX7表达的调控作用

目的研究mi R-9在膀胱癌中对CBX7基因表达的调控作用及机制。方法应用荧光定量PCR方法检测膀胱癌及癌旁组织中mi R-9及CBX7基因的表达。培养膀胱癌T24细胞,转染mi R-9的前体pre-mi R-9,Western blot检测CBX7蛋白的表达。荧光素酶报告基因表达分析明确mi R-9与CBX7基因3'非翻译区(3'UTR)的结合。结果 mi R-9在膀胱癌组织中的表达较癌旁组织呈现显著的上调,而CBX7的表达则下调明显,二者的表达呈显著负相关。在转染后膀胱癌T24细胞中,pre-mi R-9能够分别下调T24细胞中CBX7蛋白的表达。荧光素酶报告基因表达分析明确mi R-9能够与CBX7基因的3'UTR结合并负性调节其表达。结论 mi R-9与CBX7基因的表达改变与膀胱癌相关,mi R-9能够在膀胱癌细胞中靶向负性调节CBX7基因的表达。     

miR-548d抑制骨肉瘤细胞的增殖和迁移

目的:探讨miR-548d对骨肉瘤细胞增殖和迁移的影响。方法:通过Real time PCR及Western blot检测miR-548d和KRAS在30例骨肉瘤组织以及293、MG63和U2OS细胞中的表达情况。对30例骨肉瘤组织中miR-548d和KRAS含量的相关性进行分析，随后通过报告基因实验印证miR-548d对KRAS的靶向作用。MG63细胞中分别过表达或沉默miR-548d后，通过Western blot实验分析KRAS的变化情况，MTT实验观察miR-548d对细胞增殖的影响，Transwell实验观察miR-548d对其迁移能力的影响。结果:骨肉瘤组织及细胞中miR-548d表达较低，KRAS表达较高。在骨肉瘤组织中miR-548d与KRAS的表达呈负相关。报告基因实验证明miR-548d可以直接打靶KRAS。Western blot指出miR-548d可以抑制KRAS的表达。最后MTT和Transwell实验指出miR-548d可以抑制MG63细胞的增殖与迁移。结论:miR-548d可以通过打靶KRAS抑制骨肉瘤细胞的增殖和迁移。     

单羧酸转运蛋白1促进胰腺导管癌细胞浸润转移的机制研究

背景与目的：单羧酸转运蛋白1（monocarboxylate transporter 1，MCT1）是细胞转运乳酸、丙酮酸等代谢产物及能量物质的一种重要蛋白质，其在胰腺导管癌中的作用及机制鲜有研究报道。该研究旨在探讨MCT1在胰腺导管癌中的表达及临床病理学意义。方法：纳入78例胰腺导管癌患者的癌组织及癌旁正常组织，运用免疫组织化学技术检测MCT1在癌组织和癌旁正常组织中的表达水平并分析其临床病理学意义。在体外细胞系水平上，我们运用胰腺癌细胞系PANC-1和Capan-1，运用细胞克隆形成实验、细胞划痕和Transwell实验分析沉默MCT1后胰腺癌细胞增殖、迁移和浸润的改变。为明确MCT1的相关作用机制，我们通过生物信息学分析，预测miR-124-3p是MCT1的潜在调控微小RNA；为了进一步验证，我们运用双荧光素酶报告实验分析miR-124-3p对MCT1的调控效果；运用实时荧光定量聚合酶链反应（real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction，RTFQ-PCR）分别检测51对新鲜胰腺癌组织中MCT1和miR-124-3p的基因表达并分析两者的相关性。结果：MCT1的阳性表达主要位于细胞膜和细胞质。相比癌旁正常组织，MCT1在胰腺导管癌组织中显著高表达，其表达水平与胰腺导管癌的分化程度、临床分期、淋巴结转移和不良预后具有显著相关性。在体外细胞系水平上，沉默MCT1能够显著抑制胰腺癌细胞系PANC-1和Capan-1的增殖、迁移和浸润；miR-124-3p在胰腺癌组织中显著低表达，并且与MCT1 mRNA的表达具有显著负相关性，能够负调控MCT1的蛋白表达。结论：MCT1是胰腺导管腺癌的致癌基因，miR-124-3p能够负调控MCT1的表达。     

miR-663a inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and invasion by targeting HMGA2

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly aggressive solid malignancy throughout the world. Dysregulation of miRNAs play essential roles in HCC progression via aberrant regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, as well as metastasis. miR-663a is a poorly investigated miRNA. Whether miR-663a regulates HCC development remains unknown. The aim of the study was to explore the role of miR-663a in HCC development. To determine the expression level of miR-663a in HCC, we analyzed the data from GSE21362 and TCGA. The results showed that miR-663a was significantly down-regulated in HCC tissue compared with adjacent non-tumor tissue. Gain of function and loss of function assays revealed that miR-663a distinctly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Mechanistic investigations demonstrated that miR-663a modulated cell functions through targeting and suppressing high mobility group A2 (HMGA2). In addition, overexpression of HMGA2 remarkably attenuated the tumor repressive effect of miR-663a. Taken together, miR-663a inhibits HCC cell proliferation and motility by targeting HMGA2.     

microRNA-622 acts as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma

microRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of tumor development and progression. In this study, we aimed to explore the expression and role of miR-622 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We found that miR-622 was significantly downregulated in human HCC specimens compared to adjacent noncancerous liver tissues. miR-622 downregulation was significantly associated with aggressive parameters and poor prognosis in HCC. Enforced expression of miR-622 significantly decreased the proliferation and colony formation and induced apoptosis of HCC cells. In vivo studies demonstrated that miR-622 overexpression retarded the growth of HCC xenograft tumors. Bioinformatic analysis and luciferase reporter assays revealed that miR-622 directly targeted the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of mitogen-activated protein 4 kinase 4 (MAP4K4) mRNA. Ectopic expression of miR-622 led to a significant reduction of MAP4K4 expression in HCC cells and xenograft tumors. Overexpression of MAP4K4 partially restored cell proliferation and colony formation and reversed the induction of apoptosis in miR-622-overexpressing HCC cells. Inhibition of JNK and NF-κB signaling phenocopied the anticancer effects of miR-622 on HCC cells. Taken together, miR-622 acts as a tumor suppressor in HCC and restoration of miR-622 may provide therapeutic benefits in the treatment of HCC.     

CircKIF4A靶向调控miR-384表达对卵巢癌SKOV3细胞增殖和凋亡的影响

Objective?To explore the effect of circKIF4A on the proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells and its regulatory mechanism on miR-384. Methods?The qRT-PCR method was used to detect the expression of circKIF4A and miR-384 in ovarian cancer tissues and adjacent tissues. si-NC, si-circKIF4A, miR-NC, miR-384 mimics, si-circKIF4A and anti-miR-NC, si-circKIF4A and anti-miR-384 were transfected into SKOV3 cells respectively. The qRT-PCR method was used to detect the expression of circKIF4A and miR-384 in SKOV3 cells. MTT experiment and flow cytometry experiment were used to detect cell proliferation and apoptosis respectively. The dual luciferase reporter experiment was used to detect the targeting relationship between circKIF4A and miR-384. Results?Compared with adjacent tissues, the expression level of circKIF4A in ovarian cancer tissues was increased [(1.00±0.06), (4.28±0.32)] (t=62.915, P＜0.05), and the expression level of miR-384 was decreased [(1.00± 0.05), (0.43±0.03)] (t=61.047, P<0.05). After transfection with si-circKIF4A, the OD value of SKOV3 cells was decreased [(0.75±0.05), (0.41±0.03)] (t=17.493, P＜0.05), and the apoptosis rate was increased [(6.36±0.53)%, (23.19± 2.21)%] (t=22.216, P<0.05). After transfection of miR-384 mimics, the OD value of SKOV3 cells was decreased [(0.73±0.05), (0.47±0.04)] (t=12.182, P＜0.05), and the apoptosis rate was increased [(7.53±0.41)%, (19.11)±1.06)%] (t=30.567, P<0.05). The dual luciferase report experiment confirmed that circKIF4A could adsorb miR-384 and can act as a sponge molecule for miR-384. After co-transfection with si-circKIF4A and anti-miR-384, the OD value of SKOV3 cells was increased [(0.40±0.04), (0.65±0.03)] (t=15.000, P＜0.05), and the apoptosis rate was decreased [(25.20± 2.21)%, (10.37±0.86)%] (t=18.761, P＜0.05). Conclusion?Inhibition of circKIF4A expression could negatively regulate the expression of miR-384, thereby inhibiting the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells and inducing apoptosis.     

RNA Biomarker Release with Ultrasound and Phase-Change Nanodroplets

Microbubbles driven by ultrasound are capable of permeabilizing cell membranes and allowing biomarkers or therapeutics to exit from or enter cancer cells, respectively. Unfortunately, the relatively large size of microbubbles prevents extravasation. Lipid-based perfluorobutane microbubbles can be made seven-fold smaller by pressurization, creating 430-nm nanodroplets. The present study compares microbubbles and nanodroplets with respect to their ability to enhance miR-21 and mammaglobin mRNA release from cultured ZR-75-1 cells. Mammaglobin mRNA and miR-21 release increased with escalating concentrations of nanodroplets up to, respectively, 25- and 42-fold with 2% nanodroplets (v/v), compared with pre-ultrasound levels, whereas cell viability decreased to 62.4%. Sonication of ZR-75-1 cells incubated with microbubbles or nanodroplets caused relatively similar levels of cell death and miR-21 release, suggesting that nanodroplets are similar to microbubbles in enhancing cell permeability, but may be more advantageous because of their smaller size, which may allow extravasation through leaky tumor vasculature.     

Down-regulation of microRNA-27b promotes retinal pigment epithelial cell proliferation and migration by targeting Nox2

Aberrant proliferation and migration of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells contributes to the pathology of various ocular diseases. miR-27b has been reported to be crucial in the regulation of cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and migration. However, the role of miR-27b on RPE proliferation and migration remains largely unknown. Here the effect of miR-27b on ARPE-19 cells under platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB stimulation was explored. In this study, we found that the expression level of miR-27b was significantly reduced in ARPE-19 cells under PDGF-BB stimulation. Ectopic expression of miR-27b remarkably inhibited PDGF-BB-induced proliferation and migration in ARPE-19 cells. Furthermore, bioinformatic analysis and luciferase reporter assay showed that NADPH oxidase 2 (Nox2) was a direct target for miR-27b, and that knockdown of Nox2 expression mimicked the inhibitory effect of miR-27b on PDGF-BB ?induced proliferation and migration in ARPE-19 cells, whereas, restoration of Nox2 expression showed an opposite effect. In addition, the ROS production and the activation of P13K/AKT/mTOR signaling induced by PDGF-BB were also suppressed by miR-27b overexpression or Nox2 silencing. Thus, these findings indicated that miR-27b exerted its protective role in RPE cells under PDGF-BB stimulation was partially through regulation of Nox2 and its downstream P13K/AKT/mTOR signaling, which might be a potential therapeutic approach for treatment of diseases caused by RPE proliferation, and migration.