LncRNA ST8SIA6-AS1 Promotes Cholangiocarcinoma Progression by Suppressing the miR-145-5p/MAL2 Axis.

BACKGROUND: The tumor-promoting roles of ST8SIA6-AS1 and miR-145-5p have been found in several cancers, but their function in cholangiocarcinoma (CHOL) remains speculative. The purpose of this study was to examine the regulatory functions of the ST8SIA6-AS1/MAL2/miR-145-5p pathway in CHOL progression. METHODS: RT-qPCR assay was used to detect ST8SIA6-AS1 expression in CHOL tissues and cell lines. Cell migration, apoptosis, invasion, and proliferation abilities were assessed by RIP, RNA pull-down, and luciferase assays. CCK-8, BrdU, transwell, and FITC assays to investigate the regulatory functions of ST8SIA6-AS1, miR-145-5p, and MAL2 function in CHOL cells. RESULTS: Findings revealed the enrichment of ST8SIA6-AS1 in CHOL tissues and cell lines. It was also found that ST8SIA6-AS1 facilitated cell growth and migration, but it reduced the apoptosis level of the CHOL cells. The results of experiments showed that ST8SIA6-AS1 sponged miR-145-5p, thereby allowing MAL2 to exert its biological function on CHOL cells. CONCLUSION: This research suggested that the ST8SIA6-AS1/miR-145-5p/MAL2 axis could enhance CHOL progression, which might be useful to improve the clinical outcomes of CHOL patients.

Drainage procedure for pancreatolithiasis: re-examination of the pancreatic duct diameter standard.

PURPOSE: Pancreatic duct decompression relieves pancreatic duct stone (PDS)-associated abdominal pain, though a consensus indication for the drainage procedure of the main pancreatic duct (MPD) is lacking. Moreover, major prognostic factors for postsurgical long-term pain relief and recurrence are largely unknown. METHODS: The clinical outcomes of 65 consecutive PDS patients undergoing surgery from 2008-2012 with 3+ years of follow-up were assessed. RESULTS: At postsurgical follow-up (median, 4.5 years; range, 3-7 years; procedure: Partington, n = 32; Frey, n = 27; pancreatoduodenectomy, n = 3; distal pancreatectomy, n = 3), the early complication and complete stone clearance rates were 29.2% and 97%, respectively. Long-term, complete and partial pain relief were 93.9%, 83.1%, and 10.8%, respectively. The risk of pancreatic fistula was higher in the <8 mm group than in the >8 mm group (P < 0.05), and 80% of the pancreatic fistula cases occurred in the <8 mm group. A shorter pain duration (P = 0.007), smaller MPD diameter (P = 0.04), and lower Izbicki pain score (P < 0.001) predicted long-term pain relief. Pain recurrence after initial remission occurred in 5 patients and was only related to pain duration (P = 0.02). Stone recurrence and pancreatic exocrine functional and endocrine functional deterioration occurred in 2, 5, and 11 patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: Surgery provides excellent stone clearance, long-term pain relief, and acceptable postoperative morbidity. Using 8 mm as the criterion for drainage surgery can minimize the postoperative pancreatic fistula risk. Individualized and timely surgical treatment may improve the effect of surgery.

Identification of potential transcription factors, long noncoding RNAs, and microRNAs associated with hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the key transcription factors (TFs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs) associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The datasets GSE31383 and GSE54238 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus data repository. GSE31383 was used to screen differentially expressed miRNAs, and GSE54238 was used to screen differentially expressed messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and lncRNAs. ChipBase was used to identify TF-miRNA pairs. StarBase was selected to identify miRNA-mRNA and lncRNA-miRNA interactions. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis was also conducted using Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery tool. RESULTS: A total of 2065 mRNAs, 1050 lncRNAs, and 26 miRNAs were identified to be divergently expressed in HCC compared with normal tissues. There were 338 miRNA-mRNA and 65 lncRNA-miRNA pairs with reverse expression trend. Besides 249 TF-miRNA relationships including differentially expressed miRNA were isolated. Among them, 11 TF-miRNA had the same expression trend. Furthermore, lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA and TF-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks were constructed. hsa-miR-497, hsa-miR-195, and hsa-miR-424 were identified as hub nodes in these two networks. Hub TFs, such as TATA box binding protein-associated factor 1 (TAF1) and hepatocyte nuclear factor 4, alpha (HNF4α), and lncRNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) were also screened out in the network. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the regulatory networks among TFs, lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs in HCC. Several key molecules, such as hsa-miR-195, lncRNA MALAT1 and TFs TAF1 and HNF4α, may contribute to the progression of HCC.

Aberrant expression of cell cycle and material metabolism related genes contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma occurrence.

This study aims to deepen our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We first downloaded a gene expression profile dataset GSE29721 (10 HCC and 10 control samples) from Gene Expression Omnibus database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by the paired t-test using limma package. Pathway and functional enrichment analyses were performed with DAVID tools. Transcription factors were annotated with TRANSFAC database and tumor associated genes (TAGs) were annotated with TAG and TSGene databases. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was conducted using STRING online tool and function module was further identified with BioNet package. Totally, 527 up-regulated DEGs and 587 down-regulated DEGs were identified. GO functional and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses showed that the up-regulated DEGs were mainly related to cell division and cell cycle, while the down-regulated DEGs were largely related to material metabolism, especially secondary metabolism. Proteins encoded by DEGs CDK1, BUB1, CDC20, NCAPG, NDC80, CDCA8, MAD2L1, CCNB1, CCNA2 and BIRC5 were hub genes with high degrees in the PPI network; further module analysis detected a subnetwork consisting of 55 proteins, such as CYP2B6, ACAA1, BHMT and ALDH2. Taken together, aberrant expression of cell cycle related genes (e.g., CDK1, CCNA2, CCNB1, BUB1, MAD2L1 and CDC20) and material metabolism related genes (e.g., CYP2B6, ACAA1, BHMT and ALDH2) may contribute to HCC occurrence.