RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be prognostic biomarkers in many types of cancer. We aimed to identify a lncRNA signature that can predict the prognosis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). METHODS: Using a custom microarray, we retrospectively analyzed lncRNA expression profiles in 141 samples of ESCC and 81 paired non-cancer specimens from Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou, China), which were used as a training cohort to identify a signature associated with clinical outcomes. Then we conducted quantitative RT-PCR in another 103 samples of ESCC from the same cancer center as an independent cohort to verify the signature. RESULTS: Microarray analysis showed that there were 338 lncRNAs significantly differentially expressed between ESCC and non-cancer esophagus tissues in the training cohort. From these differentially expressed lncRNAs, we found 16 lncRNAs associated with overall survival (OS) of ESCC patients using Cox regression analysis. Then a 7-lncRNA signature for predicting survival was identified from the 16 lncRNAs, which classified ESCC patients into high-risk and low-risk groups. Patients with high-risk have shorter OS (HR: 3.555, 95% CI 2.195-5.757, p < 0.001) and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR: 2.537, 95% CI 1.646-3.909, p < 0.001) when compared with patients with low-risk in the training cohort. In the independent cohort, the 7 lncRNAs were detected by qRT-PCR and used to compute risk score for the patients. The result indicates that patients with high risk also have significantly worse OS (HR = 2.662, 95% CI 1.588-4.464, p < 0.001) and DFS (HR 2.389, 95% CI 1.447-3.946, p < 0.001). The univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses indicate that the signature is an independent factor for predicting survival of patients with ESCC. Combination of the signature and TNM staging was more powerful in predicting OS than TNM staging alone in both the training (AUC: 0.772 vs 0.681, p = 0.002) and independent cohorts (AUC: 0.772 vs 0.660, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The 7-lncRNA signature is a potential prognostic biomarker in patients with ESCC and may help in treatment decision when combined with the TNM staging system.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Esofágicas , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas do Esôfago , Neoplasias de Cabeça e Pescoço , RNA Longo não Codificante , Biomarcadores Tumorais/genética , China , Neoplasias Esofágicas/genética , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas do Esôfago/genética , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Prognóstico , RNA Longo não Codificante/genética , Estudos RetrospectivosRESUMO
Emerging evidence suggests that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) play critical roles in the development and progression of diverse cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the underlying molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs that are involved in hepatocarcinogenesis have not been fully explored. Methods: In this study, we profiled lncRNA expression in 127 pairs of HCC and nontumor liver tissues (a Discovery Cohort) using a custom microarray. The expression and clinical significance of lncCSMD1-1 were then validated with qRT-PCR and COX regression analysis in a Validation Cohort (n=260) and two External Validation Cohorts (n=92 and n=124, respectively). In vitro and in vivo assays were performed to explore the biological effects of lncCSMD1-1 on HCC cells. The interaction of lncCSMD1-1 with MYC was identified by RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation. The role of LncCSMD1-1 in the degradation of MYC protein was also investigated. Results: With microarray, we identified a highly upregulated lncRNA, lncCSMD1-1, which was associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in the Discovery Cohort, and validated in another 3 HCC cohorts. Consistently, ectopic expression of lncCSMD1-1 notably promotes cell proliferation, migration, invasion, tumor growth and metastasis of HCC cells in in vitro and in vivo experiments. Gene expression profiling on HCC cells and gene sets enrichment analysis indicated that the MYC target gene set was significantly enriched in HCC cells overexpressing lncCSMD1-1, and lncCSMD1-1 was found to directly bind to MYC protein in the nucleus of HCC cells, which resulted in the elevation of MYC protein. Mechanistically, lncCSMD1-1 interacted with MYC protein to block its ubiquitin-proteasome degradation pathway, leading to activation of its downstream target genes. Conclusion: lncCSMD1-1 is upregulated in HCC and promotes progression of HCC by activating the MYC signaling pathway. These results provide the evidence that lncCSMD1-1 may serve as a novel prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target for HCC.
Assuntos
Carcinoma Hepatocelular/genética , Neoplasias Hepáticas/genética , Recidiva Local de Neoplasia/epidemiologia , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-myc/metabolismo , RNA Longo não Codificante/metabolismo , Carcinogênese/genética , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/mortalidade , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/secundário , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/cirurgia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proliferação de Células/genética , Progressão da Doença , Intervalo Livre de Doença , Feminino , Seguimentos , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Hepatectomia , Humanos , Fígado/patologia , Fígado/cirurgia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/mortalidade , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patologia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/cirurgia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Recidiva Local de Neoplasia/genética , Prognóstico , Proteólise , Transdução de Sinais/genética , Regulação para Cima , Ensaios Antitumorais Modelo de XenoenxertoRESUMO
Cancer metastasis is the main cause of death in breast cancer (BC) patients. Therefore, prediction and treatment of metastasis is critical for enhancing the survival of BC patients. In this study, we aimed to identify biomarkers that can predict metastasis of BC and elucidate the underlying mechanism of the functional involvement of such markers in metastasis. miRNA expression profile was analyzed using a custom microarray system in 422 BC tissues. The relationship between the upregulated miR-665, metastasis and survival of BC was analyzed and verified in another set of 161 BC samples. The biological function of miR-665 in BC carcinogenesis was explored with in vitro and in vivo methods. The target gene of miR-665 and its signaling cascade were also analyzed. There are 399 differentially expressed miRNAs between BC and noncancerous tissues, of which miR-665 is the most upregulated miRNA in the BC tissues compared with non-tumor breast tissues (P < 0.001). The expression of miR-665 predicts metastasis and poor survival in 422 BC patients, which is verified in another 161 BC patients and 2323 BC cases from online databases. Ectopic miR-665 expression promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), proliferation, migration and invasion of BC cells, and increases tumor growth and metastasis of BC in mice. Bioinformatics, luciferase assay and other methods showed that nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 3 (NR4A3) is a target of miR-665 in BC. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that miR-665 promotes EMT, invasion and metastasis of BC via inhibiting NR4A3 to activate MAPK/ERK kinase (MEK) signaling pathway. Our study demonstrates that miR-665 upregulation is associated with metastasis and poor survival in BC patients, and mechanistically, miR-665 enhances progression of BC via NR4A3/MEK signaling pathway. This study provides a new potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for BC patients.
Assuntos
Neoplasias da Mama/metabolismo , Neoplasias da Mama/patologia , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , MicroRNAs/metabolismo , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/metabolismo , Receptores de Esteroides/metabolismo , Receptores dos Hormônios Tireóideos/metabolismo , Animais , Apoptose/genética , Apoptose/fisiologia , Neoplasias da Mama/genética , Ciclo Celular/genética , Ciclo Celular/fisiologia , Linhagem Celular , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Movimento Celular/genética , Movimento Celular/fisiologia , Proliferação de Células/genética , Proliferação de Células/fisiologia , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/genética , Transição Epitelial-Mesenquimal/genética , Transição Epitelial-Mesenquimal/fisiologia , Feminino , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica/genética , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica/fisiologia , Humanos , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Camundongos Nus , MicroRNAs/genética , Invasividade Neoplásica/genética , Invasividade Neoplásica/fisiopatologia , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/genética , Receptores de Esteroides/genética , Receptores dos Hormônios Tireóideos/genética , Transdução de Sinais/genética , Transdução de Sinais/fisiologiaRESUMO
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNAs that play critical roles in human malignancies and can be used as biomarkers for cancer. Until now, a number of biomarkers for prognosis of glioblastoma (GBM) have been reported in tumor tissues but only a few biomarkers in circulating fluid. Using a custom microarray, we previously identified 19 differentially expressed miRNAs in serum of patients with GBM. In this study, we investigated whether 3 of the 19 miRNAs in serum could be used as prognostic biomarkers for patients with GBM. We first validated the serum levels of 3 candidate miRNAs in an independent cohort of 24 GBM patients and 12 healthy volunteers by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), and then evaluated the prognostic value of these miRNAs in a total of 36 GBM patients. The results show that the serum levels of the 3 miRNAs (miR-451a, miR-485-3p and miR-4298) determined by qRT-PCR are significantly different between 24 GBM patients and 12 healthy volunteers (all P <0.05) and are in concordance with the results of microarray analysis. High serum level of miR-451a is correlated with positive tumor O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) expression (P = 0.040). Survival analysis showed that low serum miR-485-3p level is associated with poor progression-free survival (PFS) (P < 0.004) and overall survival (OS) (P < 0.023). Furthermore, univariate and multivariate Cox analyses demonstrated that that serum miR-485-3p expression is a significant independent prognostic factor for PFS and OS in GBM patients. In conclusion, serum miR-485-3p level is reduced and might be a potential prognostic biomarker in GBM patients.