Leflunomide-induced cardiac injury in adult male mice and bioinformatic approach identifying Nrf2/NF-κb signaling interplay.

Leflunomide (LFND) is an immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) that was approved for treating rheumatoid arthritis. LFND-induced cardiotoxicity was not fully investigated since its approval. We investigated the cardiac injury in male mice and identified the role of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/nuclear factor-κ B (Nrf2/NF-κB) signaling. Male albino mice were assigned into five groups as control, vehicle, and LFND (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg). We investigated cardiac enzymes, histopathology, and the mRNA expression of Nrf2, NF-κB, BAX, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). The bioinformatic study identified the interaction between LFND and Nrf2/NF-κB signaling; this was confirmed by amelioration in mRNA expression (0.5- to 0.34-fold decrease in Nrf2 and 2.6- to 4.61-fold increases in NF-κB genes) and increased (1.76- and 2.625-fold) serum creatine kinase (CK) and 1.38- and 2.33-fold increases in creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB). Histopathological results confirmed the dose-dependent effects of LFND on cardiac muscle structure in the form of cytoplasmic, nuclear, and vascular changes in addition to increased collagen deposits and apoptosis which were increased compared to controls especially with LFND 10 mg/kg. The current study elicits the dose-dependent cardiac injury induced by LFND administration and highlights, for the first time, dysregulation in Nrf2/NF-κB signaling.

Low expression of miR-126 is a prognostic marker for metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is an aggressive tumor with unpredictable behavior. Clinical parameters are not always accurate for predicting prognosis. miR-126 is differentially expressed in many cancers, including RCC, and is down-regulated in metastatic versus primary ccRCC. We assessed the prognostic significance of miR-126 in 264 primary ccRCCs. We also compared its expression in normal kidney, primary and metastatic ccRCC, and RCC subtypes. We validated our results on an independent set of 481 ccRCCs. miR-126 was down-regulated in metastatic versus primary tumors and in tumors of higher stage (P = 0.005) or higher grade (P = 0.002). miR-126 up-regulation was associated with significantly prolonged disease-free survival (P < 0.001) and overall survival (P = 0.015). For larger tumors (>4 cm), patients with higher miR-126 expression had significantly longer survival. Restoration of miR-126 expression decreased cellular migration and proliferation in RCC cell lines. The ccRCCs exhibited the highest miR-126 expression, and papillary RCCs exhibited the lowest expression. We identified a number of miR-126 targets and pathways that are involved in carcinogenesis, including the apoptosis signaling pathway. miR-126 is a promising prognostic marker in ccRCC that can distinguish between clear cell and papillary subtypes. In addition, miR-126 has potential therapeutic applications.

miR-221/222 Are Involved in Response to Sunitinib Treatment in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Sunitinib is a multitargeting tyrosine kinase inhibitor used for metastatic renal cancer. There are no biomarkers that can predict sunitinib response. Such markers are needed to avoid administration of costly medication with side effects to patients who would not benefit from it. We compared global miRNA expression between patients with a short (≤12 months) versus prolonged (>12 months) progression-free survival (PFS) under sunitinib as first-line therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma. We identified a number of differentially expressed miRNAs and developed miRNA statistical models that can accurately distinguish between the two groups. We validated our models in the discovery set and an independent set of 57 patients. Target prediction and pathway analysis showed that these miRNAs are involved in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), TGFß, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-mediated signaling and cell-cell communication. We tested the effect of these miRNAs on cellular proliferation and angiogenesis. We validated the negative correlation between miR-221 and its target, VEGFR2.miR-221 overexpression was associated with a poor PFS while its target, VEGFR2 was associated with longer survival. Gain of function experiments showed that miR-221 and miR-222 decreased angiogenesis and cellular proliferation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) while increasing cellular proliferation in ACHN cells. miRNAs represent potential predictive markers for sunitinib response.

MicroRNAs in kidney disease: an emerging understanding.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNA molecules that function by negatively regulating the expression of their target genes in a tightly controlled manner. Accumulating evidence, based in part on effects seen after miRNA overexpression and/or knockdown, points to the critical involvement of miRNAs in kidney function in health and disease. In this review, we provide a quick overview of the biogenesis of miRNAs and their potential involvement in kidney development and normal function. We also discuss the current literature that has begun to uncover the role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of kidney diseases, including diabetic nephropathy, hypertension, glomerulonephritis, and cancer. As such, miRNAs have potential utility in the clinical realm as disease biomarkers. Moreover, miRNAs represent an attractive therapeutic target for a number of kidney diseases. We close by discussing a number of potential challenges that face the field of miRNA research and clinical use.

Betanin improves motor function and alleviates experimental Parkinsonism via downregulation of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway: Molecular docking and biological investigations.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neuroinflammatory and degenerative disease. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective action of betanin in the rotenone-induced Parkinson-like mice model. Twenty-eight adult male Swiss albino mice were divided into four groups: Vehicle, Rotenone, Rotenone + Betanin 50 mg/kg, and Rotenone + Betanin 100 mg/kg. Parkinsonism was induced by subcutaneous injection of 9 doses of rotenone (1 mg/kg/48 h) plus betanin at 50 and 100 mg/kg/48 h in rotenone + betanin groups for twenty days. Motor dysfunction was assessed after the end of the therapeutic period using the pole, rotarod, open-field, grid, and cylinder tests. Malondialdehyde, reduced glutathione (GSH), Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation primary response-88 (MyD88), nuclear factor kappa- B (NF-κB), neuronal degeneration in the striatum were evaluated. In addition, we assessed the immunohistochemical densities of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in Str and in substantia nigra compacta (SNpc). Our results showed that rotenone remarkably decreased (results of tests), increased decreased TH density with a significant increase in MDA, TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB, and a decrease in GSH (p < 0.05). Treatment with betanin significantly results of tests), increased TH density. Furthermore, betanin significantly downregulated malondialdehyde and improved GSH. Additionally, the expression of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB was significantly alleviated. Betanin's powerful antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties can be related to its neuroprotective potential as well as its ability to delay or prevent neurodegeneration in PD.

Exploring the role of miRNAs in renal cell carcinoma progression and metastasis through bioinformatic and experimental analyses.

Metastasis results in most of the cancer deaths in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate many important cell functions and play important roles in tumor development, metastasis and progression. In our previous study, we identified a miRNA signature for metastatic RCC. In this study, we validated the top differentially expressed miRNAs on matched primary and metastatic ccRCC pairs by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We performed bioinformatics analyses including target prediction and combinatorial analysis of previously reported miRNAs involved in tumour progression and metastasis. We also examined the co-expression of the miRNAs clusters and compared expression of intronic miRNAs and their host genes. We observed significant dysregulation between primary and metastatic tumours from the same patient. This indicates that, at least in part, the metastatic signature develops gradually during tumour progression. We identified metastasis-dysregulated miRNAs that can target a number of genes previously found to be involved in metastasis of kidney cancer as well as other malignancies. In addition, we found a negative correlation of expression of miR-126 and its target vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A. Cluster analysis showed that members of the same miRNA cluster follow the same expression pattern, suggesting the presence of a locus control regulation. We also observed a positive correlation of expression between intronic miRNAs and their host genes, thus revealing another potential control mechanism for miRNAs. Many of the significantly dysregulated miRNAs in metastatic ccRCC are highly conserved among species. Our analysis suggests that miRNAs are involved in ccRCC metastasis and may represent potential biomarkers.

Translational research: Empowering the role of pathologists and cytopathologists.

Research activity is in the core essence of pathology. Advancing our understanding of disease pathogenesis translates into better patient care. Because of their unique position, laboratorians are the best to accurately identify, annotate, and classify research specimens. They also are essential for the accurate interpretation of genomic testing. Currently, cytopathologists are moving to the center of patient care through active communication with clinicians and patients. There are certain research areas in which cytopathologists can be pioneers, such as image analysis, morphology research, and genotype-phenotype association studies integrating morphologic and molecular features. Health service utilization research is another domain in which cytopathologists can excel. Successful research is a journey that necessitates multiple steps. It also involves building expertise in how to overcome obstacles and handle challenges.

Therapeutic Targeting of TFE3/IRS-1/PI3K/mTOR Axis in Translocation Renal Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Translocation renal cell carcinoma (tRCC) represents a rare subtype of kidney cancer associated with various TFE3, TFEB, or MITF gene fusions that are not responsive to standard treatments for RCC. Therefore, the identification of new therapeutic targets represents an unmet need for this disease. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We have established and characterized a tRCC patient-derived xenograft, RP-R07, as a novel preclinical model for drug development by using next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. We then assessed the therapeutic potential of inhibiting the identified pathway using in vitro and in vivo models. RESULTS: The presence of a SFPQ-TFE3 fusion [t(X;1) (p11.2; p34)] with chromosomal break-points was identified by RNA-seq and validated by RT-PCR. TFE3 chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by deep sequencing analysis indicated a strong enrichment for the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Consistently, miRNA microarray analysis also identified PI3K/AKT/mTOR as a highly enriched pathway in RP-R07. Upregulation of PI3/AKT/mTOR pathway in additional TFE3-tRCC models was confirmed by significantly higher expression of phospho-S6 (P < 0.0001) and phospho-4EBP1 (P < 0.0001) in established tRCC cell lines compared with clear cell RCC cells. Simultaneous vertical targeting of both PI3K/AKT and mTOR axis provided a greater antiproliferative effect both in vitro (P < 0.0001) and in vivo (P < 0.01) compared with single-node inhibition. Knockdown of TFE3 in RP-R07 resulted in decreased expression of IRS-1 and inhibited cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: These results identify TFE3/IRS-1/PI3K/AKT/mTOR as a potential dysregulated pathway in TFE3-tRCC, and suggest a therapeutic potential of vertical inhibition of this axis by using a dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor for patients with TFE3-tRCC.

miR-10b is a prognostic marker in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

AIMS: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common adult kidney cancer. It is an aggressive tumour with unpredictable outcome. The currently used clinical parameters are not always accurate for predicting disease behaviour. miR-10b is dysregulated in different malignancies including RCC. METHODS: We assessed the clinical utility of miR-10b as a prognostic marker in 250 patients with primary ccRCC. We examined the correlation between miR-10b and clinicopathological parameters. We compared miR-10b expression among different RCC subtypes and normal kidney tissue. RESULTS: We observed a stepwise decrease of miR-10b expression from normal kidney to primary ccRCC and a further decrease from primary to metastatic RCC. miR-10b expression was significantly lower in stages III/IV compared with stages I/II (p=0.038). Using a binary cut-off, miR-10b-positive patients had significantly longer disease-free survival (HR=0.47, CI 0.28 to 0.79, p=0.004). In the subgroup of patients with tumour size >4 cm, higher miR-10b expression was associated with significant longer disease-free and overall survival (p=0.001 and p=0.036, respectively). miR-10b was significantly downregulated in ccRCC compared with normal kidney (p<0.0001), and oncocytoma (p=0.031). It was also downregulated in chromophobe RCC. In addition, we identified a number of miR-10b-predicted targets and pathways that are involved in tumourigenesis. CONCLUSIONS: Our data point to miR-10b as a promising prognostic marker in ccRCC with potential therapeutic applications.

MicroRNA-194 is a Marker for Good Prognosis in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most prevalent adult kidney cancer. Prognostic markers are needed to guide patient management toward aggressive versus more conservative approaches, especially for small tumors ≤4 cm. miR-194 was reported to be downregulated in several cancers and is involved in epithelial to mesenchymal transition. We evaluated miR-194 as a prognostic marker in ccRCC. In a cohort of 234 patients with primary ccRCC, we correlated miR-194 expression level with multiple clinicopathological features including disease-free and overall survival, tumor size, clinical stage, and histological grade. Our results shows a stepwise decrease in miR-194 expression from normal kidney to primary ccRCC (P = 0.0032) and a subsequent decrease from primary to metastatic lesions. Additionally, patients with higher miR-194 expression has significantly longer disease-free survival (P = 0.041) and overall survival (P = 0.031) compared to those with lower expression. In multivariate analysis, miR-194-positive tumors retain significance in disease-free survival and overall survival, suggesting miR-194 is an independent marker for good prognosis in ccRCC. Moreover, miR-194 is a marker for good prognosis for patients with small renal masses (P = 0.014). These findings were validated on an independent data set from The Cancer Genome Atlas. We also compared miR-194 expression between RCC subtypes. ccRCC had the highest levels, whereas chromophobe RCC and oncocytoma had comparable lower levels. Target prediction coupled with pathway analysis show that miR-194 is predicted to target key molecules and pathways involved in RCC progression. miR-194 represents a prognostic biomarker in ccRCC.

Exosomal MicroRNAs Are Diagnostic Biomarkers and Can Mediate Cell-Cell Communication in Renal Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Apart from an invasive biopsy, currently no tools are available to confirm the diagnosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC); this resulted in approximately 30% of patients being diagnosed with metastatic disease. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether urinary microRNAs (miRNAs) can serve as biomarkers to confirm the diagnosis of ccRCC. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Global miRNA expression was assessed in 28 preoperative urine samples from patients with ccRCC and 18 healthy participants. The independent validation set consisted of 81 ccRCC patients, 24 patients with benign lesions, and 33 healthy participants. We extracted both cell-free and exosomal RNA for miRNA expression analysis using miRNA-specific polymerase chain reaction assays. We also investigated exosomal miRNA secretion in cell line models and performed exosome transfer between RCC and endothelial cell types. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Receiver operating characteristic analysis was applied to identify the discrimination power of miRNAs. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Overall, miR-126-3p combined with miR-449a or with miR-34b-5p could significantly distinguish ccRCC patients from healthy participants (miR-126-3p-miR-449a: area under the curve [AUC]: 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.7620-0.9151; p<0.001; miR-126-3p-miR-34b-5p: AUC: 0.79; 95% CI, 0.7013-0.8815; p<0.001). The combination of miR-126-3p and miR-34b-5p was also able to distinguish small renal masses (pT1a, ≤4cm) from healthy controls (AUC: 0.79; 95% CI, 0.6848-0.8980; p<0.001). Using miR-126-3p and miR-486-5p in combination, we were able to differentiate between benign lesions and ccRCC (AUC: 0.85; 95% CI, 0.7295-0.9615; p<0.01). The expression of a number of miRNAs returned to a level comparable with health after surgery. Kidney cancer cell lines were found to secrete exosomal miR-126-3p, miR-17-5p, miR-21-3p, and miR-25-3p, and these miRNAs were found to be internalized by other cell types. CONCLUSIONS: We identified exosomal miRNAs as potential noninvasive diagnostic urinary biomarkers for ccRCC and provided evidence that miRNAs are secreted by the tumor and can function as a tool for intercellular communication. PATIENT SUMMARY: We identified urinary microRNAs that can serve as diagnostic biomarkers for clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

miRNA-target network reveals miR-124as a key miRNA contributing to clear cell renal cell carcinoma aggressive behaviour by targeting CAV1 and FLOT1.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is an aggressive tumor with frequent metastatic rate and poor survival. Integrated analyses allow understanding the interplay between different levels of molecular alterations.We integrated miRNA and gene expression data from 458 ccRCC and 254 normal kidney specimens to construct a miRNA-target interaction network.We identified the downregulated miR-124-3p, -30a-5p and -200c-3p as the most influential miRNAs in RCC pathogenesis.miR-124-3p and miR-200c-3p expression showed association with patient survival, miR-30a-5p was downregulated in metastases compared to primary tumors. We used an independent set of 87 matched samples for validation. We confirmed the functional impact of these miRNAs by in vitro assays. Restoration of these miRNAs reduced migration, invasion and proliferation. miR-124-3p decreased the S phase of cell cycle, as well. We compared transcriptome profiling before and after miRNA overexpression, and validated CAV1 and FLOT1 as miR-124-3p targets. Patients with higher CAV1 and FLOT1 had lower miR-124-3p expression and shorter overall survival.We hypothesize that these three miRNAs are fundamental contributing to ccRCC aggressive/metastatic behavior; and miR-124-3p especially has a key role through regulating CAV1 and FLOT1 expression. Restoration of the levels of these miRNAs could be considered as a potential therapeutic strategy for ccRCC.

miR-210 is a prognostic marker in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Accurate assessment of prognosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is key in optimizing management plans to fit individual patient needs. miRNAs are short noncoding single-stranded RNAs that control the expression of target genes and may act as cancer biomarkers. We analyzed the expression of miR-210 in 276 cases of primary ccRCC and compared its expression in 40 pairs of adjacent normal and cancerous tissues. We assessed its expression in primary and metastatic tumors, in the common RCC subtypes, and the benign oncocytoma. The results were validated with an independent data set from The Cancer Genome Atlas. miR-210 was significantly overexpressed in ccRCC compared with normal kidney. miR-210(+) patients had a statistically higher chance of disease recurrence [hazard ratio (HR), 1.82; P = 0.018] and shorter overall survival (HR, 2.46; P = 0.014). In multivariate analysis, miR-210 lost its statistically significant association with shorter disease-free survival and overall survival after adjusting for tumor size and tumor, node, metastasis stage. Papillary RCC showed comparable miR-210 overexpression, whereas decreased up-regulation was seen in chromophobe RCC and oncocytoma. A number of predicted targets that might be involved in carcinogenesis and aggressive tumor behavior were identified. miR-210 is a potential therapeutic target and independent marker of poor prognosis of ccRCC.