Role of miR-182/PDCD4 axis in aggressive behavior of prostate cancer in the African Americans.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among men. African Americans (AA) are at an increased risk of developing prostate cancer compared to European Americans (EA). miRNAs play a critical role in these tumors, leading to tumor progression. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-182 in racial disparity in prostate cancer. RESULTS: We found significantly increased levels of miR-182 in prostate cancer tissues compared to BPH. Also, miR-182 shows increased expression in AA prostate cancer cell line and tissue samples compared to EA. We performed biochemical recurrence (BCR) - free survival time in AA and EA patients and found that high miR-182 expression had significantly shorter BCR-free survival than patients with low miR-182 expression (P = 0.031). To elucidate the role of miR-182, we knocked down miR-182 in EA (DU-145 and LNCaP) and AA (MDA-PCa-2b) cell lines and found an increase in apoptosis, arrest of the cell cycle, and inhibition of colony formation in the AA cell line to a greater extent than EA cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that PDCD4 is a direct miR-182 target and its inhibition is associated with aggressiveness and high Gleason grade in prostate cancer among AA. These findings show that miR-182 is highly expressed in AA patients and miR-182 may be a target for effective therapy in AA patients.

Genistein Represses HOTAIR/Chromatin Remodeling Pathways to Suppress Kidney Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Genistein, a soy isoflavone, has been shown to have anti-cancer effects in various cancers including renal cancer. Long non-coding RNA, HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR), is involved in cancer progression and metastasis, such as renal cancer. Our aim was to investigate the effects of genistein on HOTAIR chromatin remodeling functions. METHODS: We used MTS assays and Transwell migration assays to study the effects of genistein on cell proliferation and migration respectively in human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell lines. We used Western blots to analyze SNAIL and ZO-1 expression. We performed chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays to study recruitment of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) to the ZO-1 promoter. We performed RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays to study interaction between HOTAIR and PRC2, SMARCB1 or ARID1A. We also performed transfection experiments to overexpress EED, HOTAIR and knockdown SMARCB1. RESULTS: Genistein reduced cell proliferation and migration of human renal cell carcinoma cell lines. ChIP assays indicated that genistein reduces recruitment of the PRC2 to the ZO-1 promoter and increased its expression. RIP assays showed that genistein inhibits HOTAIR interaction with PRC2, leading to tumor suppression. Immunoprecipitation also revealed that genistein reduced EED levels in PRC2, suggesting that decreased EED levels suppress HOTAIR interaction with PRC2. EED overexpression in the presence of genistein restored PRC2 interaction with HOTAIR and reduced ZO-1 transcription, suggesting genistein activates ZO-1 by inhibiting HOTAIR/PRC2 functions. RIP assays also showed that HOTAIR interacts with SMARCB1 and ARID1A, subunits of the human SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex and genistein reduces this interaction. Combination of HOTAIR overexpression and SMARCB1 knockdown in the presence of genistein revealed that genistein inhibits SNAIL transcription via the HOTAIR/SMARCB1 pathway. CONCLUSION: Genistein suppresses EED levels in PRC2 and inhibits HOTAIR/PRC2 interaction. Genistein suppresses HOTAIR/PRC2 recruitment to the ZO-1 promoter and enhances ZO-1 transcription. Genistein also inhibits SNAIL transcription via reducing HOTAIR/SMARCB1 interaction. We demonstrate that the reduction of HOTAIR interaction with chromatin remodeling factors by genistein represses HOTAIR/chromatin remodeling pathways to suppress RCC malignancy.

Role of the PI3K/Akt pathway in cadmium induced malignant transformation of normal prostate epithelial cells.

This study investigated the role of the PI3K/Akt pathway in cadmium (Cd) induced malignant transformation of normal prostate epithelial (PWR1E and RWPE1) cells. Both PWR1E and RWPE1 cells were exposed to 10 µM Cd for one year and designated as Cd-PWR1E and Cd-RWPE1. Cd-RWPE1 cells robustly formed tumors in athymic nude mice. Functionally, Cd-exposure induced tumorigenic attributes indicated by increased wound healing, migration and invasion capabilities in both cell lines. RT2-array analysis revealed many oncogenes including P110α, Akt, mTOR, NFKB1 and RAF were induced whereas tumor suppressor (TS) genes were attenuated in Cd-RWPE1. This was validated by individual quantitative-real-time-PCR at transcriptional and by immunoblot at translational levels. These results were consistent in Cd-PWR1E vs parental PWR1E cells. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis revealed that five prostate cancer (PCa) related pathways were enriched in Cd-exposed cells compared to their normal controls. These pathways include the KEGG- Pathways in cancer, Prostate Cancer Pathway, ERBB, Apoptosis and MAPK pathways. We selected up- and down-regulated genes randomly from the PI3K/Akt pathway array and profiled these in the TCGA/GDC prostate-adenocarcinoma (PRAD) patient cohort. An upregulation of oncogenes and downregulation of TS genes was observed in PCa compared to their normal controls. Taken together, our study reveals that the PI3K/Akt signaling is one of the main molecular pathways involved in Cd-driven transformation of normal prostate epithelial cells to malignant form. Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the Cd-driven malignant transformation of normal prostate cells will provide a significant insight to develop better therapeutic strategies for Cd-induced prostate cancer.

Activation of the Erk/MAPK signaling pathway is a driver for cadmium induced prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: Cadmium (Cd) is reported to be associated with carcinogenesis. The molecular mechanisms associated with Cd-induced prostate cancer (PCa) remain elusive. MATERIALS AND METHODS: RWPE1, PWR1E and DU 145 cells were used. RT2 Profiler Array, real-time-quantitative-PCR, immunofluorescence, cell cycle, apoptosis, proliferation and colony formation assays along with Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were performed. RESULT: Chronic Cd exposure of non-malignant RWPE1 and PWR1E cells promoted cell survival, proliferation and colony formation with inhibition of apoptosis. Even a two-week Cd exposure of PCa cell line (DU 145) significantly increased the proliferation and decreased apoptosis. RT2 profiler array of 84 genes involved in the Erk/MAPK pathway revealed induction of gene expression in Cd-RWPE1 cells compared to RWPE1. This was confirmed by individual TaqMan gene expression analysis in both Cd-RWPE1 and Cd-PWR1E cell lines. GSEA showed an enrichment of the Erk/MAPK pathway along with other pathways such as KEGG-ERBB, KEGG-Cell Cycle, KEGG-VEGF, KEGG-Pathways in cancer and KEGG-prostate cancer pathway. We randomly selected upregulated genes from Erk/MAPK pathway and performed profile analysis in a PCa data set from the TCGA/GDC data base. We observed upregulation of these genes in PCa compared to normal samples. An increase in phosphorylation of the Erk1/2 and Mek1/2 was observed in Cd-RWPE1 and Cd-PWR1E cells compared to parental cells, confirming that Cd-exposure induces activation of the Erk/MAPK pathway. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that Erk/MAPK signaling is a major pathway involved in Cd-induced malignant transformation of normal prostate cells. Understanding these dominant oncogenic pathways may help develop optimal therapeutic strategies for PCa.

Interaction and cross-talk between non-coding RNAs.

Non-coding RNA (ncRNA) has been shown to regulate diverse cellular processes and functions through controlling gene expression. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) act as a competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) where microRNAs (miRNAs) and lncRNAs regulate each other through their biding sites. Interactions of miRNAs and lncRNAs have been reported to trigger decay of the targeted lncRNAs and have important roles in target gene regulation. These interactions form complicated and intertwined networks. Certain lncRNAs encode miRNAs and small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), and may regulate expression of these small RNAs as precursors. SnoRNAs have also been reported to be precursors for PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and thus may regulate the piRNAs as a precursor. These miRNAs and piRNAs target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and regulate gene expression. In this review, we will present and discuss these interactions, cross-talk, and co-regulation of ncRNAs and gene regulation due to these interactions.

Influence of lifestyle choices on risks of CYP1B1 polymorphisms for prostate cancer.

Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) converts xenobiotics to carcinogens and how lifestyle choices may interact with CYP1B1 polymorphisms and affect prostate cancer risk was assessed. Blood genomic DNA from a Caucasian population was analysed at polymorphic sites of the 5' untranslated region of CYP1B1 using TaqMan genotyping assays. Overall, drinker status and minor alleles at rs2551188, rs2567206 and rs10175368 were associated with prostate cancer. Linkage was observed between rs2551188, rs2567206, rs2567207 and rs10175368, and the G-C-T-G haplotype (major allele at respective sites) was decreased in cancer. Interestingly when classified by lifestyle factors, no associations of genotypes were found for non-smokers and non-drinkers, whereas on the contrary, minor type at rs2567206 and rs10175368 increased and major G-C-T-G decreased risk for cancer among smokers and drinkers. Interestingly, rs2551188, rs2567206 and rs10175368 minor genotypes correlated with increased tissue CYP1B1 as determined by immunohistochemistry. Further, rs10175368 enhanced luciferase activity and mobility shift show stronger binding of nuclear factor for the minor allele. These results demonstrate smoking and alcohol consumption to modify the risks of CYP1B1 polymorphisms for prostate cancer which may be through rs10175368, and this is of importance in understanding their role in the pathogenesis and as a biomarker for this disease.

Long non-coding RNA HOTAIR is targeted and regulated by miR-141 in human cancer cells.

HOTAIR is a long non-coding RNA that interacts with the polycomb repressive complex and suppresses its target genes. HOTAIR has also been demonstrated to promote malignancy. MicroRNA-141 (miR-141) has been reported to play a role in the epithelial to mesenchymal transition process, and the expression of miR-141 is inversely correlated with tumorigenicity and invasiveness in several human cancers. We found that HOTAIR expression is inversely correlated to miR-141 expression in renal carcinoma cells. HOTAIR promotes malignancy, including proliferation and invasion, whereas miR-141 suppresses malignancy in human cancer cells. miR-141 binds to HOTAIR in a sequence-specific manner and suppresses HOTAIR expression and functions, including proliferation and invasion. Both HOTAIR and miR-141 were associated with the immunoprecipitated Ago2 (Argonaute2) complex, and the Ago2 complex cleaved HOTAIR in the presence of miR-141. These results demonstrate that HOTAIR is suppressed by miR-141 in an Ago2-dependent manner.

CYP1B1 promotes tumorigenesis via altered expression of CDC20 and DAPK1 genes in renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) has been shown to be up-regulated in many types of cancer including renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Several reports have shown that CYP1B1 can influence the regulation of tumor development; however, its role in RCC has not been well investigated. The aim of the present study was to determine the functional effects of CYP1B1 gene on tumorigenesis in RCC. METHODS: Expression of CYP1B1 was determined in RCC cell lines, and tissue microarrays of 96 RCC and 25 normal tissues. To determine the biological significance of CYP1B1 in RCC progression, we silenced the gene in Caki-1 and 769-P cells by RNA interference and performed various functional analyses. RESULTS: First, we confirmed that CYP1B1 protein expression was significantly higher in RCC cell lines compared to normal kidney tissue. This trend was also observed in RCC samples (p < 0.01). Interestingly, CYP1B1 expression was associated with tumor grade and stage. Next, we silenced the gene in Caki-1 and 769-P cells by RNA interference and performed various functional analyses to determine the biological significance of CYP1B1 in RCC progression. Inhibition of CYP1B1 expression resulted in decreased cell proliferation, migration and invasion of RCC cells. In addition, reduction of CYP1B1 induced cellular apoptosis in Caki-1. We also found that these anti-tumor effects on RCC cells caused by CYP1B1 depletion may be due to alteration of CDC20 and DAPK1 expression based on gene microarray and confirmed by real-time PCR. Interestingly, CYP1B1 expression was associated with CDC20 and DAPK1 expression in clinical samples. CONCLUSIONS: CYP1B1 may promote RCC development by inducing CDC20 expression and inhibiting apoptosis through the down-regulation of DAPK1. Our results demonstrate that CYP1B1 can be a potential tumor biomarker and a target for anticancer therapy in RCC.

Cytochrome P450 1B1 polymorphisms and risk of renal cell carcinoma in men.

The cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) enzyme activates xenobiotics to reactive forms as well as convert estradiol to 4-hydroxy-estradiol that has been shown to play a role in the carcinogenesis process of the kidney in male but not female animals. Prior reports show polymorphic variants of CYP1B1 to alter catalytic activity, and thus, we hypothesize that polymorphisms of the CYP1B1 gene are involved in the malignant transformation of the renal cell in men. The genetic distributions of five CYP1B1 polymorphisms were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism in 480 normal healthy subjects and 403 sporadic renal cell carcinoma cases. All subjects were Caucasian men. The sites evaluated were codons 48 (C → G, Arg → Gly, rs10012), 119 (G → T, Ala → Ser, rs1056827), 432 (C → G, Leu → Val, rs1056836), 449 (C → T, Asp, rs1056837), and 453 (A → G, Asn → Ser, rs1800440). A trend was demonstrated for the 432 Val/Val (χ2, P = 0.06) and 449 T/T (χ2, P = 0.1) genotypes to play a protective role against renal cancer. Odds ratio (95 % confidence interval) for Val/Val compared to Leu/Leu at codon 432 was 0.65 (0.44-0.95) and T/T compared to C/C at codon 449 was 0.67 (0.45-0.99). Codons 432 and 449 were observed to be linked (D = 0.24), and haplotype involving 432 Val and 449 T was significantly reduced in cancer cases (P = 0.04). No association was found, however, when analyzing polymorphic sites with clinical stage of cancer. These results demonstrate polymorphisms of CYP1B1 to be associated with renal carcinogenesis and are of importance in understanding their role in the pathogenesis of renal cell carcinoma.

MicroRNA-34a suppresses malignant transformation by targeting c-Myc transcriptional complexes in human renal cell carcinoma.

We investigated the functional effects of microRNA-34a (miR-34a) on c-Myc transcriptional complexes in renal cell carcinoma. miR-34a down-regulated expression of multiple oncogenes including c-Myc by targeting its 3' untranslated region, which was revealed by luciferase reporter assays. miR-34a was also found to repress RhoA expression by suppressing the c-Myc-Skp2-Miz1 transcriptional complex that activates RhoA. Overexpression of c-Myc reversed miR-34a suppression of RhoA expression and inhibition of cell invasion, suggesting that miR-34a inhibits invasion by suppressing RhoA through c-Myc. miR-34a was also found to repress the c-Myc-P-TEFb transcription elongation complex, indicating one of the mechanisms by which miR-34a has profound effects on cellular functions. Our results demonstrate that miR-34a suppresses assembly and function of the c-Myc complex that activates or elongates transcription, indicating a novel role of miR-34a in the regulation of transcription by c-Myc.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase-mediated metabolism of 4-hydroxyestradiol inhibits the growth of human renal cancer cells through the apoptotic pathway.

Long-term exposure to estrogen and its metabolites may play an important role in renal cell carcinogenesis. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) participates in the estrogen metabolism pathway by neutralizing toxic substances. Although reduced COMT activity has been suggested to be a risk factor for estrogen-associated cancers, no studies have investigated the biological significance of COMT in the pathogenesis of human renal cell cancers (RCCs). We initially found that COMT levels are significantly decreased in human RCC tissues and cells suggesting it plays a suppressive role in tumor development. However, transient overexpression of COMT has no functional effect on RCC cell lines. In contrast, when cells overexpressing COMT are treated with its substrate 4-hydroxyestradiol (4-OHE(2)), growth is inhibited by apoptotic cell death. We also found that COMT overexpression combined with 4-OHE(2) induces upregulation of growth arrest- and DNA damage-inducible protein α (GADD45α). We further show that downregulation of GADD45α by a small interfering RNA-mediated approach inhibits cell death, indicating the essential role of GADD45α in the underlying mechanism of COMT action in response to 4-OHE(2). Finally, 4-methoxyestradiol fully reproduces the antiproliferative function of COMT with 4-OHE(2) by promoting GADD45α induction. Together, these findings show that COMT in the presence of 4-OHE(2) prevents RCC cell proliferation by enhancing apoptosis and that GADD45α plays a critical role in the COMT-mediated inhibition of RCC.

MicroRNA-145 is regulated by DNA methylation and p53 gene mutation in prostate cancer.

MiR-145 is downregulated in various cancers including prostate cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms of miR-145 downregulation are not fully understood. Here, we reported that miR-145 was silenced through DNA hypermethylation and p53 mutation status in laser capture microdissected (LCM) prostate cancer and matched adjacent normal tissues. In 22 of 27 (81%) prostate tissues, miR-145 was significantly downregulated in the cancer compared with the normal tissues. Further studies on miR-145 downregulation mechanism showed that miR-145 is methylated at the promoter region in both prostate cancer tissues and 50 different types of cancer cell lines. In seven cancer cell lines with miR-145 hypermethylation, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine treatment dramatically induced miR-145 expression. Interestingly, we also found a significant correlation between miR-145 expression and the status of p53 gene in both LCM prostate tissues and 47 cancer cell lines. In 29 cell lines with mutant p53, miR-145 levels were downregulated in 28 lines (97%), whereas in 18 cell lines with wild-type p53 (WT p53), miR-145 levels were downregulated in only 6 lines (33%, P < 0.001). Electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that p53 binds to the p53 response element upstream of miR-145, but the binding was inhibited by hypermethylation. To further confirm that p53 binding to miR-145 could regulate miR-145 expression, we transfected WT p53 and MUT p53 into PC-3 cells and found that miR-145 is upregulated by WT p53 but not with MUTp53. The apoptotic cells are increased after WT p53 transfection. In summary, this is the first report documenting that downregulation of miR-145 is through DNA methylation and p53 mutation pathways in prostate cancer.

Secreted frizzled-related protein-5 is epigenetically downregulated and functions as a tumor suppressor in kidney cancer.

Secreted frizzled-related protein-5 (sFRP-5) has been identified as 1 of the secreted antagonists that bind Wnt protein. However, the functional significance of sFRP-5 in renal cell cancer (RCC) has not been reported. We hypothesized that sFRP-5 may be epigenetically downregulated through DNA methylation and histone modification and function as a tumor suppressor gene in RCC. Using tissue microarray and real-time RT-PCR, we found that sFRP-5 was significantly downregulated in kidney cancer tissues and cell lines, respectively. DNA bisulfite sequencing of the sFRP-5 promoter region in RCC cell lines showed it to be densely methylated, whereas there was few promoter methylation in normal kidney. The sFRP-5 expression was restored and the acetylation of H3 and H4 histones associated with the sFRP-5 promoter region were significantly increased after treatment with demethylation agent (5-Aza-dc) and histone deacetylase inhibitor (TSA). When RCC cells were transfected with the sFRP-5 gene, significant inhibition of anchorage independent colony formation and cell invasion were observed compared to controls. The sFRP-5 transfection also significantly induced apoptosis in RCC cells. In conclusion, this is the first report documenting that the sFRP-5 is downregulated by promoter methylation and histone acetylation and functions as a tumor suppressor gene by inducing apoptosis in RCC cells.

Wnt antagonist DKK1 acts as a tumor suppressor gene that induces apoptosis and inhibits proliferation in human renal cell carcinoma.

The functional significance of Wnt antagonist DKK1 has not been investigated in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Therefore, we hypothesized that DKK1 may be a tumor suppressor gene and is epigenetically silenced, thus decreased DKK1 may cause progression of RCC. To assess the function of DKK1, we established stable DKK1 transfected cells and monitored them regarding cell viability, colony formation, apoptosis, cell cycle, and invasive capability. RCC cell lines had decreased levels of DKK1, which were increased after treatment with 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine and trichostatin A. In chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, the level of dimethyl H3K9 and trimethyl H3K27 was decreased after 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine/trichostatin A treatment in RCC cell lines. Increased methylation was also associated with higher pathological stages in primary RCC tissues. T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor activity and nuclear beta-catenin expression were not changed in DKK1 transfectants. Also the expression of cyclinD1 and c-Myc was not changed in DKK1 transfectants. These results suggest that DKK1 may not be involved in the beta-catenin dependent pathway. We also evaluated the expression of various related genes. Cleaved caspase3, p53, p21 and puma expression were significantly upregulated in the DKK1 transfected cells. The population of apoptotic cells was increased in stable DKK1 cells and tumor growth suppression was also observed in nude mice with DKK1 transfected cells. In conclusion, this is the first report to show that DKK1 expression is epigenetically silenced in kidney cancer and its reexpression induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in RCC.

Suppressor effect of catechol-O-methyltransferase gene in prostate cancer.

Catechol-estrogens can cause genetic mutations and to counteract their oncogenicity, the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is capable of neutralizing these reactive compounds. In this study, we determined the functional effects and regulation of COMT in prostate cancer. Both the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and immunohistochemical analysis of clinical specimens demonstrated a reduction of COMT expression in prostate cancer. Also, western analyses of prostate cancer cell lines show COMT levels to be minimal in DuPro and DU145 and thus, these cells were used for further analyses. Re-expression of COMT led to suppressed migration ability (wound healing assay) and enhanced apoptosis (flow cytometric analyses), and when challenged with 4-hydroxyestradiol, a marked reduction of cell proliferation (MTT assay) was observed. Xenograft growth in athymic mice also resulted in inhibition due to COMT. As a mechanism, western analyses show cleaved CASP3 and BID were increased whereas XIAP and cIAP2 were reduced due to COMT. As COMT expression is low in prostate cancer, its regulation was determined. Databases identified several miRNAs capable of binding COMT and of these, miR-195 was observed to be increased in prostate cancer according to TCGA. Real-time PCR validated upregulation of miR-195 in clinical prostate cancer specimens as well as DuPro and DU145 and interestingly, luciferase reporter showed miR-195 capable of binding COMT and overexpressing miR-195 could reduce COMT in cells. These results demonstrate COMT to play a protective role by activating the apoptosis pathway and for miR-195 to regulate its expression. COMT may thus be a potential biomarker and gene of interest for therapeutic development for prostate cancer.

A lncRNA TCL6-miR-155 Interaction Regulates the Src-Akt-EMT Network to Mediate Kidney Cancer Progression and Metastasis.

Metastasis is the leading cause of mortality from kidney cancer, and understanding the underlying mechanism of this event will provide better strategies for its management. Here we investigated the biological, functional, and clinical significance of lncTCL6 and its interacting miR-155 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). We employed a comprehensive approach to investigate the lncTCL6-miR-155-Src/Akt-mediated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway as a novel regulatory mechanism in ccRCC progression. Expression analyses revealed that lncTCL6 is downregulated in ccRCC compared with normal tissues. Overexpression of lncTCL6 in ccRCC cell lines impaired their oncogenic functions, such as cell proliferation and migration/invasion, and induced cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis; conversely, depletion of lncTCL6 rescued these phenotypic effects. Furthermore, lncTCL6 directly interacted with miR-155. Unlike lncTCL6, miR-155 was overexpressed in ccRCC. Stable knockdown of miR-155 phenocopied the effects of lncTCL6 overexpression. Conversely, reconstitution of miR-155 and suppression of lncTCL6 in noncancerous renal cell HK2 induced tumorigenic characteristics. Patients with higher expression of lncTCL6 and lower expression of miR-155 had better survival probability. When overexpressed, lncTCL6 recruited STAU1 and mediated decay of Src mRNA, followed by a marked downregulation of an integrated network of Src target genes involved in migration, invasion, and EMT. However, the interaction between miR-155 and lncTCL6 attenuated the regulatory role of lncTCL6 on Src-mediated EMT. In conclusion, this study is the first report documenting the lncTCL6-miR155-Src/Akt/EMT network as a novel regulatory mechanism in aggressive ccRCC and a promising therapeutic target to inhibit renal cancer. SIGNIFICANCE: This study's investigation of noncoding RNA interactions in renal cell carcinoma identify miRNA-155-lncRNA TCL6-mediated regulation of the Src-Akt-EMT network as a novel mechanism of disease progression and metastasis.

LncRNA CDKN2B-AS1/miR-141/cyclin D network regulates tumor progression and metastasis of renal cell carcinoma.

The molecular heterogeneity of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) complicates the therapeutic interventions for advanced metastatic disease and thus its management remains a significant challenge. This study investigates the role of the lncRNA CDKN2B-AS1 and miR-141-3p interactions in the progression and metastasis of kidney cancer. Human renal cancer cell lines (ACHN and Caki1), normal RPTEC cells, tissue cohorts, and a series of in vitro assays and in vivo mouse model were used for this study. An overexpression of CDKN2B-AS1 was observed in RCC compared to normal samples in TCGA and our in-house SFVAMC tissue cohorts. Reciprocally, we observed reduced expression of miR-141 in RCC compared to normal in the same cohorts. CDKN2B-AS1 shares regulatory miR-141 binding sites with CCND1 and CCND2 genes. Direct interactions of CDKN2B-AS1/miR-141/Cyclin D1-D2 were confirmed by RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays indicating that CDKN2B-AS1/miR-141/Cyclin D1-D2 acts as a ceRNA network in RCC. Functionally, attenuation of CDKN2B-AS1 and/or overexpression of miR-141 inhibited proliferation, clonogenicity, migration/invasion, induced apoptosis in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in xenograft mouse model. Further, overexpression of CDKN2B-AS1 is positively correlated with poor overall survival of RCC patients. Expression of miR-141 also robustly discriminated malignant from non-malignant tissues and its inhibition in normal RPTEC cells induced pro-cancerous characteristics. CDKN2B-AS1 attenuation or miR-141 overexpression decreased CCND1/CCND2 expression, resulting in reduced RAC1/pPXN that are involved in migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. This study, for the first time, deciphered the role of CDKN2B-AS1/miR-141/Cyclin D axis in RCC and highlights this network as a promising therapeutic target for the regulation of EMT driven metastasis in RCC.

Restoring erectile function by antioxidant therapy in diabetic rats.

PURPOSE: Diabetes mediates an increase in reactive oxygen species that can lead to impaired endothelial function, decreased smooth muscle in the diabetic corpus cavernosum and increased apoptosis. We hypothesized that antioxidant therapy may restore erectile function by inhibiting apoptosis in diabetic rat crura. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 40 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to 5 groups of 8 each, including healthy controls, rats with diabetes, and rats with diabetes with the antioxidant tempol (4-hydroxytetramethyl-piperidine-1-oxyl) (Sigma-Aldrich), with insulin, and with tempol and insulin. Intracavernous pressure was measured for functional analysis. Smooth muscle and collagen fiber levels in the rat penile corpus cavernosum were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin, and Masson's trichrome staining. Endothelial cells were assessed by CD31 staining. Reactive oxygen species related genes were analyzed by cDNA microarray. We confirmed mRNA and protein expression profiles for these genes in diabetic and treated rats using real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. TUNEL assay was done to analyze apoptosis status. RESULTS: Intracavernous pressure in diabetic rats was significantly decreased vs controls. After treatment with tempol or insulin alone intracavernous pressure was significantly increased compared to that in untreated diabetic rats. In the diabetic group mean smooth muscle area significantly decreased but was restored after combined tempol and insulin. Endothelial cell area in diabetic rats significantly decreased and was not restored by any treatments. However, apoptosis was restored to normal by combined insulin and tempol. Of 84 reactive oxidative stress and antioxidant genes 32 were identified specific to diabetic rats compared to healthy controls. UCP3 expression was significantly increased in diabetic rats and normal levels were restored by all treatments. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge this is the first report that tempol and insulin can restore erectile function in diabetic rats by inhibiting apoptosis.

Upregulation of miR-130b Contributes to Risk of Poor Prognosis and Racial Disparity in African-American Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates are higher in African-American (AA) than in European-American (EA) men. The main objective of this study was to elucidate the role of miR-130b as a contributor to prostate cancer health disparity in AA patients. We also determined whether miR-130b is a prognostic biomarker and a new therapeutic candidate for AA prostate cancer. A comprehensive approach of using cell lines, tissue samples, and the TCGA database was employed. We performed a series of functional assays such as cell proliferation, migration, invasion, RT2-PCR array, qRT-PCR, cell cycle, luciferase reporter, immunoblot, and IHC. Various statistical approaches such as Kaplan-Meier, uni-, and multivariate analyses were utilized to determine the clinical significance of miR-130b. Our results showed that elevated levels of miR-130b correlated with race disparity and PSA levels/failure and acted as an independent prognostic biomarker for AA patients. Two tumor suppressor genes, CDKN1B and FHIT, were validated as direct functional targets of miR-130b. We also found race-specific cell-cycle pathway activation in AA patients with prostate cancer. Functionally, miR-130b inhibition reduced cell proliferation, colony formation, migration/invasion, and induced cell-cycle arrest. Inhibition of miR-130b modulated critical prostate cancer-related biological pathways in AA compared with EA prostate cancer patients. In conclusion, attenuation of miR-130b expression has tumor suppressor effects in AA prostate cancer. miR-130b is a significant contributor to prostate cancer racial disparity as its overexpression is a risk factor for poor prognosis in AA patients with prostate cancer. Thus, regulation of miR-130b may provide a novel therapeutic approach for the management of prostate cancer in AA patients.