Cancer-associated fibroblast-secreted miR-421 promotes pancreatic cancer by regulating the SIRT3/H3K9Ac/HIF-1α axis.

This study was designed to explore the effects of exosomal miR-421 secreted by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) on pancreatic cancer (PC) progression and the mechanisms involved. CAFs and exosomes (exos) were isolated and identified. PC cells were treated with CAF-derived exos (CAF-exos). Western blotting and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were used to measure miR-421, sirtuin-3 (SIRT3), and hypoxia duciblefactors-1 alpha (HIF-1α) levels. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), wound-healing, and transwell migration assays were used to measure proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of the cells. Dual-luciferase assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) experiment analyzed the relationship between miR-421 and SIRT3. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (f)-verified H3K9Ac enrichment in the HIF-1α promoter region. In vivo tumorigenesis experiments were performed to further explore the effects of exosomal miR-421 from CAFs on PC. CAFs and exos were successfully isolated. CAF-exo-treated PC cells highly expressed miR-421 and had increased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities. Knocking down miR-421 increased the expression of SIRT3. SIRT3 is a target of miR-421, and inhibiting the expression of SIRT3 reversed the negative effects of miR-421 knockdown on PC cell. Knocking down miR-421 in CAF-exo inhibited the expression of HIF-1α in PC cells. Moreover, SIRT3-mediated HIF-1α expression by regulating H3K9Ac. HIF-1α overexpression reversed the inhibiting effects of SIRT3 overexpression on PC progression and counteracted the inhibiting effects of miR-421 knockdown on glycolysis. Moreover, in vivo tumorigenesis experiments showed that knocking down miR-421 attenuated CAF-exo induced tumor growth. Exosomal miR-421 from CAFs promoted PC progression by regulating the SIRT3/H3K9Ac/HIF-1α axis. This study provided insights into the molecular mechanism of PC.

LINC00960 regulates cell proliferation and glycolysis in pancreatic cancer through the miR-326-3p/TUFT1/AKT-mTOR axis.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a common malignant cancer characterized by high mortality and poor prognosis. LINC00690 was involved in the occurrence and progression of PC, but the underlying mechanisms require further investigation. The goal of this study was to figure out how LINC00960 mediates glycolysis in PC. LINC00960, miR-326-3p, and Tuftelin 1 (TUFT1) expression levels were detected in PC cell lines. LINC00960 and TUFT1 expression levels were increased in PC cells when compared with normal pancreatic cells, whereas miR-326-3p expression levels were decreased. The expression levels of LINC00690 affected glycolysis in PC, and inhibition of LINC00960 inhibited tumor growth in vivo. LINC00690 targeted and suppressed the expression of miR-326-3p. MiR-326-3p bound to TUFT1, and miR-326-3p inhibited AKT-mTOR pathway activation via TUFT1. In conclusion, the depletion of LINC00960 repressed cell proliferation and glycolysis in PC by mediating the miR-326-3p/TUFT1/AKT-mTOR axis. Thus, we present a novel mechanism underlying the progression of PC that suggests LINC00960 is a potential therapeutic target for this cancer.

A better overall survival (OS) for total (ipsilateral) retroperitoneal lipectomy than standard complete resection in patients with retroperitoneal liposarcoma: a comparative multi-institutional study.

Background: Complete resection (CR) serves as the standard of surgical treatment for retroperitoneal liposarcoma (RPLS). Unfortunately, even at referral centers, recurrence rates are high, and CR may not address multifocal diseases, which are a common phenomenon in RPLS. We sought to retrospectively compare the clinical outcomes of RPLS patients treated with total (ipsilateral) retroperitoneal lipectomy (TRL) and CR. Because TRL remove potentially multifocal tumors in the fat, patients may have a better prognosis than CR. Methods: Patients with primary/first-recurrent RPLS who had been treated at 5 referral centers were recruited from December 2014 to June 2018. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were conducted to determine the effects of demographic, operative, and clinicopathological variables on the following primary endpoints: local recurrence (LR), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and overall survival (OS). Results: A total of 134 patients were enrolled in this retrospective study, 53 of whom underwent TRL, and 81 of whom underwent CR. The 2 groups were comparable in terms of age, gender, presentation (primary vs. first-recurrent RPLS), number of tumors (unifocal vs. multifocal) at presentation, and Fédération Nationale des Centres de Lutte Contre le Cancer (FNCLCC) grade. The TRL group had higher levels of preoperative hemoglobin (Hb) (13 vs. 12.5 g/dL; P=0.008) and a lower amount of intraoperative blood loss (400 vs. 500 mL; P=0.034), but there were no significant differences in the length of hospital stay (23 vs. 22 d; P=0.47) or complications (32 vs. 30; P=0.82) between the 2 groups. In a subset of patients with multifocal tumors at initial presentation, OS was more prolonged in those treated with TRL than those treated with CR (P=0.0272). Based on the multivariable analysis, primary liposarcoma and a low FNCLCC grade were associated with decreased LR and improved OS. Conclusions: TRL is a safe procedure that positively affects the OS of patients with multifocal RPLS. This novel strategy deserves further investigation in prospective studies.