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Breast invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) is a most common kind of breast cancer (BC), yet to date the corresponding effective therapies are limited. Extensive evidence has indicated that lncRNAs are involved in multiple cancers, and the potential mechanism of lncRNAs, such as LINC00092, mentioned in IDC remains elusive. IDC clinical samples from TCGA database were used to analyze the expression levels of LINC00092, miR-1827 and SFRP1. Kaplan-Meier method was applied to plot the overall survival curves. KEGG and GO were employed to screen the pathway that LINC00092 participated in. Pearson's correlation analysis determined the relationship between LINC00092 and SFRP1. Bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assay examined the association among LINC00092, miR-1827, and SFRP1. Cell counting kit-8, colony formation and transwell assays were performed to detect cell viability, colony formation, and migration and invasion, respectively. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot were utilized to investigate the expression at RNA and protein levels. LINC00092 expression was down-regulated in IDC tissues and cells, which was correlated with poor prognosis. Down-regulated LINC00092 facilitated cell proliferation, colony formation, and cell migration and invasion, while up-regulated LINC00092 inhibited cell malignant behaviors. LINC00092/SFRP1 physically bound to miR-1827 in IDC. SFRP1 expression was proportional to LINC00092 expression and inversely proportional to miR-1827 expression. The inhibitory effects of LINC00092 on cell aggressive behaviors were partially regulated by miR-1827/SFRP1. In summary, our results indicated that overexpression of LINC00092 inhibited the development of IDC through modulating miR-1827/SFRP1 axis, suggesting new therapeutic targets to treat IDC.

Objective: To screen differentially expressed miRNAs in the testis of male rats exposed to cigarette smoke (CS) and identify the early molecular markers of CS-induced apoptosis of testicular cells., Methods: We randomly divided 200 SPF male SD rats into blank control and low-dose (10 non-filter cigarettes/d), medium-dose (20 non-filter cigarettes/d) and high-dose (30 non-filter cigarettes/d) CS exposure groups. After 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 weeks of CS exposure, we observed the histopathological changes of the testis by HE staining, detected the apoptosis of the testicular cells by TUNEL, and determined the expressions of caspase-3 and caspase-9 in the testis tissue by immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and Western blot. Based on the laboratory results, we selected 4 testicular samples from the 12-week high-dose group and another 4 from the control for miRNA microarray-based screening, bioinformatics analysis, and verification of differentially expressed miRNAs in all the animals by RT-PCR., Results: Compared with the controls, the CS-exposed rats showed dose- and time-dependent increase in the atrophy of the testis and significantly increased number of apoptotic testis cells from the 6th week of exposure (P < 0.05), with dramatically up-regulated expressions of caspase-3 (P < 0.01) and caspase-9 protein and mRNA (P < 0.05) in the testis tissue. Microarray-based screening and RT-PCR revealed 5 differentially expressed miRNAs in the testis of the CS-exposed rats, of which miR-138-5p, miR-181d-5p, miR-19a-3p and miR-3588 were down-regulated, and miR-155-5p up-regulated, and the target genes of the differentially expressed miRNAs positively regulated the apoptosis of the testicular cells., Conclusions: The differentially expressed miRNAs miR-155-5p, miR-138-5p, miR-181d-5p, miR-19a-3p and miR-3588 regulate CS-induced apoptosis of testicular cells, and may become biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis of CS-induced spermatogenesis obstruction.《.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), a class of heterogeneous membrane vesicles, are generally divided into exosomes and microvesicles on basis of their origination from the endosomal membrane or the plasma membrane, respectively. EV-mediated bidirectional communication among various cell types supports cancer cell growth and metastasis. EVs derived from different cell types and status have been shown to have distinct RNA profiles, comprising messenger RNAs and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Recently, ncRNAs have attracted great interests in the field of EV-RNA research, and growing numbers of ncRNAs ranging from microRNAs to long ncRNAs have been investigated to reveal their specific functions and underlying mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment and premetastatic niches. Emerging evidence has indicated that EV-RNAs are essential functional cargoes in modulating hallmarks of cancers and in reciprocal crosstalk within tumor cells and between tumor and stromal cells over short and long distance, thereby regulating the initiation, development and progression of cancers. In this review, we discuss current findings regarding EV biogenesis, release and interaction with target cells as well as EV-RNA sorting, and highlight biological roles and molecular mechanisms of EV-ncRNAs in cancer biology.

miRNAs are a class of single-stranded noncoding RNAs, which have no coding potential, but modulate many molecular mechanisms including cancer pathogenesis. miRNAs participate in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, as well as carcinogenesis or cancer progression, and their involvement in lung cancer has been recently shown. They are suggested to have bidirectional functions on important cancer-related genes so as to enhance or attenuate tumor genesis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a fundamental process which contributes to integrity of organogenesis and tissue differentiation as well as tissue repair, organ fibrosis and the progression of carcinoma, and several miRNAs were suggested to form the network regulating EMT in lung cancer, among which, miR-200 family members (miR-200a, miR-200b, miR-200c, miR-429 and miR-141) play crucial roles in the suppression of EMT.

We herein report that sulforaphane (SFN), a potent anti-cancer and well-tolerated dietary compound, inhibits cancer stem-like cell (CSC) properties and enhances therapeutic efficacy of cisplatin in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). SFN exerted these functions through upregulation of miR-214, which in turn targets the coding region of c-MYC. This finding was further corroborated by our observations that plasmid or lentiviral vector-mediated expression of 3'UTR-less c-MYC cDNA and cisplatin- or doxorubicin-induced endogenous c-MYC accumulation was similarly suppressed by either SFN or miR-214. Further, we showed that the reported inhibitory effects of SFN on β-catenin are also mediated by miR-214. SFN/miR-214 signaling inhibited CSC properties and enhanced the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs in vitro. Experiments with nude mice carrying xenograft tumors showed that SFN sensitized NSCLC cells to cisplatin's efficacy, which is accompanied by inhibition of cisplatin-induced c-MYC accumulation in tumor tissues. Our results provided strong evidence and mechanisms to support consideration of SFN or synthetic derivatives as a therapeutic agent in combination with cisplatin for the treatment of patients with NSCLC and, potentially, other types of c-MYC-addicted tumors.

Rationale: During the transition from compensated hypertrophy to heart failure, the signaling between L-type Ca(2+) channels in the cell membrane/T-tubules and ryanodine receptors in the sarcoplasmic reticulum becomes defective, partially because of the decreased expression of a T-tubule-sarcoplasmic reticulum anchoring protein, junctophilin-2. MicroRNA (miR)-24, a junctophilin-2 suppressing miR, is upregulated in hypertrophied and failing cardiomyocytes., Objective: To test whether miR-24 suppression can protect the structural and functional integrity of L-type Ca(2+) channel-ryanodine receptor signaling in hypertrophied cardiomyocytes., Methods and Results: In vivo silencing of miR-24 by a specific antagomir in an aorta-constricted mouse model effectively prevented the degradation of heart contraction, but not ventricular hypertrophy. Electrophysiology and confocal imaging studies showed that antagomir treatment prevented the decreases in L-type Ca(2+) channel-ryanodine receptor signaling fidelity/efficiency and whole-cell Ca(2+) transients. Further studies showed that antagomir treatment stabilized junctophilin-2 expression and protected the ultrastructure of T-tubule-sarcoplasmic reticulum junctions from disruption., Conclusions: MiR-24 suppression prevented the transition from compensated hypertrophy to decompensated hypertrophy, providing a potential strategy for early treatment against heart failure.

Rationale: Failing cardiomyocytes exhibit decreased efficiency of excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling. The downregulation of junctophilin-2 (JP2), a protein anchoring the sarcoplasmic reticulum to T-tubules, has been identified as a major mechanism underlying the defective E-C coupling. However, the regulatory mechanism of JP2 remains unknown., Objective: To determine whether microRNAs regulate JP2 expression., Methods and Results: Bioinformatic analysis predicted 2 potential binding sites of miR-24 in the 3'-untranslated regions of JP2 mRNA. Luciferase assays confirmed that miR-24 suppressed JP2 expression by binding to either of these sites. In the aortic stenosis model, miR-24 was upregulated in failing cardiomyocytes. Adenovirus-directed overexpression of miR-24 in cardiomyocytes decreased JP2 expression and reduced Ca(2+) transient amplitude and E-C coupling gain., Conclusions: MiR-24-mediated suppression of JP2 expression provides a novel molecular mechanism for E-C coupling regulation in heart cells and suggests a new target against heart failure.