• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3471-3476
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• 2014

Background: Aberrant expression of the microRNA-29 family is associated with tumorigenesis and cancer progression. As transport carriers, tumor-derived exosomes are released into the extracellular space and regulate multiple functions of target cells. Thus, we assessed the possibility that exosomes could transport microRNA-29c as a carrier and correlations between microRNA-29c and apoptosis of bladder cancer cells. Materials and Methods: A total of 28 cancer and adjacent tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry to detect BCL-2 and MCL-1 expression. Disease was Ta-T1 in 12 patients, T2-T4 in 16, grade 1 in 8, 2 in 8 and 3 in 12. The expression of microRNA-29c in cancer tissues was detected by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (QRT-PCR). An adenovirus containing microRNA-29c was used to infect the BIU-87 human bladder cancer cell line. MicroRNA-29c in exosomes was measured by QRT-PCR. After BIU-87 cells were induced by exosomes-derived microRNA-29c, QRT-PCR was used to detect the level of microRNA-29c. Apoptosis was examined by flow cytometry and BCL-2 and MCL-1 mRNA expressions were assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Western blotting was used to determine the protein expression of BCL-2 and MCL-1. Results: The expressions of BCL-2 and MCL-1 protein were remarkably increased in bladder carcinoma (p<0.05), but was found mainly in the basal and suprabasal layers in adjacent tissues. The expression of microRNA-29c in cancer tissues was negatively correlated with the BCL-2 and MCL-1. The expression level of microRNA-29c in exosomes and BIU-87 cells from the experiment group was higher than that in control groups (p<0.05). Exosome-derived microRNA-29c induced apoptosis (p<0.01). Although only BCL-2 was reduced at the mRNA level, both BCL-2 and MCL-1 were reduced at the protein level. Conclusions: Human bladder cancer cells infected by microRNA-29c adenovirus can transport microRNA-29c via exosomes. Moreover, exosome-derived microRNA29c induces apoptosis in bladder cancer cells by down-regulating BCL-2 and MCL-1.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.3437-3445
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• 2016

Background: There is an increasing concern in the role of microRNA (miRNA) in the pathogenesis of bone metastasis (BM) secondary to prostate cancer (CaP). In this exploratory study, we hypothesized that the expression of vinculin (VCL) and chemokine X3C ligand 1 (CX3CL1) might be down-regulated in clinical samples, most likely due to the post-transcriptional modification by microRNAs. Targeted genes would be up-regulated upon transfection of the bone metastatic prostate cancer cell line, PC3, with specific microRNA inhibitors. Materials and Methods: MicroRNA software predicted that miR-21 targets VCL while miR-29a targets CX3CL1. Twenty benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 16 high grade CaP formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) specimens were analysed. From the bone scan results, high grade CaP samples were further classified into CaP with no BM and CaP with BM. Transient transfection with respective microRNA inhibitors was done in both RWPE-1 (normal) and PC3 cell lines. QPCR was performed in all FFPE samples and transfected cell lines to measure VCL and CX3CL1 levels. Results: QPCR confirmed that VCL messenger RNA (mRNA) was significantly down-regulated while CX3CL1 was up-regulated in all FFPE specimens. Transient transfection with microRNA inhibitors in PC3 cells followed by qPCR of the targeted genes showed that VCL mRNA was significantly upregulated while CX3CL1 mRNA was significantly down-regulated compared to the RWPE-1 case. Conclusions: The down-regulation of VCL in FFPE specimens is most likely regulated by miR-21 based on the in vitro evidence but the exact mechanism of how miR-21 can regulate VCL is unclear. Up-regulated in CaP, CX3CL1 was found not regulated by miR-29a. More microRNA screening is required to understand the regulation of this chemokine in CaP with bone metastasis. Understanding miRNA-mRNA interactions may provide additional knowledge for individualized study of cancers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.21
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• pp.9059-9064
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• 2014

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ubiquitously expressed small, non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression at a post transcriptional/translational level. They have emerging as playing crucial roles in cancer at all stages ranging from initiation to metastasis. As a tumor suppressor miRNA, aberrant expression of microRNA-29b (miR-29b) has been detected in various types of cancer, and its disturbance is related with tumor development and progression. In this review, we summarize the latest findings with regard to the tumor suppressor signatureof miR-29b and its regulatory mechanisms. Our review highlights the diverse relationships between miR-29b and its target genes in malignant tumors.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.216-222
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• 2021

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is major cancer with high incidence and mortality worldwide. It is known that most CRCs arise from precursor adenomatous polyps (APs). Recently, microRNA (miRNA) has been proposed as a biomarker for various cancers including CRC. In this study, the expression patterns of miR-29a in the whole blood (WB) of CRC, AP, and control groups were analyzed by reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to evaluate the expression level of miR-29a in patients with colorectal neoplasm (CRN) including CRC and AP. As a result, the relative expression of miR-29a was significantly decreased in the patients with CRN compared to the control group (P<0.001). The results were in agreement with previous in vitro cell studies and studies that used tissue and feces samples, suggesting that miR-29a in WB may be useful in demonstrating the status of colorectal tissue. Additionally, we divided the control group into healthy control (HC) without any colorectal symptoms and non-tumor control (NTC) with colorectal symptoms but without any CRN. And then the relative expression of miR-29a was also significantly decreased in the NTC group compared to the HC group (P<0.001). Therefore, our study revealed that miR-29a can differentiate patients with CRN from HC group, but they are also involved in the early stage of inflammatory response and cannot be specific biomarkers for CRN.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3767-3772
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• 2014

Introduction: MicroRNAs have emerged as post-transcriptional regulators that are critically involved in tumorigenesis. This study was designed to explore the effect of miRNA 133b on the proliferation and expression of TBPL1 in colon cancer cells. Methods: Human colon cancer SW-620 cells and human colon adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells were cultured. MiRNA 133b mimcs, miRNA 133b inhibitors, siRNA for TBPL1 and scrambled control were synthesized and transfected into cells. MiR-133b levels in cells and CRC tumor tissue was measured by real-time PCR. TBPL1 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR. Cell proliferation was studied with MTT assay. Western blotting was applied to detect TBPL1 protein levels. Luciferase assays were conducted using a pGL3-promoter vector cloned with full length of 3'UTR of human TBPL1 or 3'UTR with mutant sequence of miR-133b target site in order to confirm if the putative binding site is responsible for the negative regulation of TBPL1 by miR-133b. Results: Real time PCR results showed that miRNA 133b was lower in CRC tissue than that in adjacent tissue. After miR-133b transfection, its level was elevated till 48h, accompanied by lower proliferation in both SW-620 and HT-29 cells. According to that listed in http://www.targetscan.org, the 3'-UTR of TBPL1 mRNA (NM_004865) contains one putative binding site of miR-133b. This site was confirmed to be responsible for the negative regulation by miR-133b with luciferase assay. Further, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry both indicated a higher TBPL1 protein expression level in CRC tissue. Finally, a siRNA for TBPL1 transfection obviously slowed down the cell proliferation in both SW-620 and HT-29 cells. Conclusion: MiR-133b might act as a tumor suppressor and negatively regulate TBPL1 in CRC.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2016

In human medicine, circulating microRNAs have been successfully utilized as early biomarkers for various abnormalities and disease states. Vertebrate miR-122 is a liver-specific microRNA which is expressed almost solely in hepatocytes and plays an important role in the regulation of hepatocyte function. In this study, to evaluate the potential utility of circulating miR-122 as a biomarker for liver injury in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), fish were orally intubated with two doses of acetaminophen (500 mg/kg or 1.000 mg/kg of body weight), and the expression of miR-122 in serum was quantified using real time-PCR. Histological change in liver, and the enzymatic activity of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) were also analyzed. The results showed that miR-122 was higher in acetaminophen administered groups compared to control group. The histopathological effect of acetaminophen on olive flounder liver was not distinct. The serum level of GPT and GOT was increased within 2 folds compared to control group by acetaminophen administration. However, the serum miR-122 level was increased more than 3 or 4 folds compared to the control group by administration of 1000 mg/kg of acetaminophen. These results suggest the possible use of miR-122 as an indicator of liver injury in olive flounder, even when histopathological effects are not distinctive.

• Journal of Gynecologic Oncology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.95.1-95.17
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• 2018

Objective: Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors. Our previous results showed that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) XLOC_006390 plays an important role in cervical cancer. In this study, we have explored the mechanism of action of lncRNA XLOC_006390. Methods: LncRNA XLOC_006390 was proposed to exercise its function as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA), and its potential targeted miRNAs was predicted through the database LncBase Predicted v.2. Two miRNAs, miR-331-3p, and miR-338-3p, were chosen for the study. Expression of miRNAs and lncRNA in cervical cancer cells and tissues was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. To determine the correlation, silencing of XLOC_006390, over-expression of miR-331-3p, and miR-338-3p was performed in SiHa and Caski cell lines, respectively. Results: Based on the interactive effect between miRNA and lncRNA, miR-331-3p and miR-338-3p were significantly downregulated in cervical cancer cells and tissues, and their expression levels were negatively related to that of lncRNA. Our results also showed that the expression of miR-331-3p target gene NRP2, miR-338-3p target genes PKM2, EYA2 was significantly downregulated when the XLOC_006390 was knocked down. Further, XLOC_006390 was found to facilitate cervical cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis by downregulating miR-331-3p and miR-338-3p expression. Conclusion: Taken together, our study demonstrated that XLOC_006390 may serve as a ceRNA and reversely regulates the expression of miR-331-3p and miR-338-3p, thus facilitating cervical cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.1714-1724
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• 2020

Objective: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are the most abundant small RNAs. Approximately 2,000 annotated miRNAs genes have been found to be differentially expressed in ovarian follicles during the follicular development (FD). Many miRNAs exert their regulatory effects on the apoptosis of follicular granulosa cells (FGCs) and FD. However, accurate roles and mechanism of miRNAs regulating apoptosis of FGCs remain undetermined. Methods: In this review, we summarized the regulatory role of each miRNA or miRNA cluster on FGCs apoptosis and FD on the bases of 41 academic articles retrieved from PubMed and web of science and other databases. Results: Total of 30 miRNAs and 4 miRNAs clusters in 41 articles were reviewed and summarized in the present article. Twenty nine documents indicated explicitly that 24 miRNAs and miRNAs clusters in 29 articles promoted or induced FGCs apoptosis through their distinctive target genes. The remaining 10 miRNAs and miRNAs of 12 articles inhibited FGCs apoptosis. MiRNAs exerted modulation actions by at least 77 signal pathways during FGCs apoptosis and FD. Conclusion: We concluded that miRNAs or miRNAs clusters could modulate the apoptosis of GCs (including follicular GCs, mural GCs and cumulus cells) by targeting their specific genes. A great majority of miRNAs show a promoting role on apoptosis of FGCs in mammals. But the accurate mechanism of miRNAs and miRNA clusters has not been well understood. It is necessary to ascertain clearly the role and mechanism of each miRNA or miRNA cluster in the future. Understanding precise functions and mechanisms of miRNAs in FGCs apoptosis and FD will be beneficial in developing new diagnostic and treatment strategies for treating infertility and ovarian diseases in humans and animals.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.118-122
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• 2019

Oxytocin (Oxt) and vasopressin (Avp) are mainly synthesized in neuronal cells of the hypothalamus and are released from the posterior pituitary. The structure and sequences of Oxt and Avp genes imply that they are closely related and that they are the result of a duplication event during evolution. A previous study suggested that a small regulatory microRNA (miRNA), miR-24, regulated Oxt after binding. However, it is not clear whether this miRNA can modulate Avp simultaneously. The aim of the present study was to investigate putative targeting miRNAs of Avp, including miR-24. Targeted candidate miRNA oligonucleotides were transfected into COS-7 cells to elucidate the binding activity of miRNAs and Avp using dual-luciferase assays. The luciferase assay showed that only miR-24 displayed elevated binding activity with Avp as compared to a control and other candidate miRNAs. Transfection with seed mutants of Avp and miR-24 inhibitors clearly showed that miR-24 can directly bind to the Avp gene. These results provide new insight into the regulatory mechanism of neurohypophysial hormones by a single miRNA.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.13
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• pp.5175-5180
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• 2014

Objective: In this study, tumor-stage predictive abilities of miR21, miR155, miR29a and miR92a were evaluated in rectal cancer (RC). Methods: Expression of miR21, miR155, miR29a and miR92a was detected and quantitated in tumor tissue and in adjacent normal tissue from 40 patients by TaqMan MicroRNA assay. Results: Significant overexpression of miR21, miR155, miR29a and miR92a was observed in RC tissues. While high expression of miR21, miR155 and miR29a in N1-2 and C-D stages presented a potential correlation with N and Duke stages, partial correlation analysis suggested that only miR155 rather than miR21 and miR29a played a greater influencing role. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis showed that miR155 could discriminate N0 from N1-2 with 85.0% sensitivity and 85.0% specificity, N2 from N0-1 with 90.0% sensitivity and 96.7% specificity, and C-D stage from A-B stage with 81.0% sensitivity and 84.2% specificity. Conclusions: Increase in expression of miR155 might represent a novel predictor for RC N and Dukes staging.