Huasong Liu^*1, Jun Zhang^*1, Xiangyu Luo^*, Min Zeng^*, Liqiang Xu^*, Qunxian Zhang^*, Hua Liu^*, Jialong Guo^*, Lanlan Xu^†

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.1, pp. 65-73, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15656904013079

Abstract Emerging evidence has demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) mediate the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) via various pathophysiological pathways. This study explored the impact of the lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 on cisplatin resistance in ESCC and its possible mechanisms. Upregulation of FOXD2-AS was detected in patients with ESCC and ESCC cells that are resistant to cisplatin. In an in vitro assay, knockdown of FOXD2-AS1 noticeably inhibited cell invasion and growth, triggered cell death, and repressed the stimulation of the Akt/mTOR axis in cisplatin-resistant ESCC cells (TE-1/DDP). Conversely, the overexpression of FOXD2-AS1 remarkably increased cell More >

Xiao-Na L^*i, Hong Yang^†, Tao Yang^‡

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.1, pp. 41-49, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15615433287579

Abstract In the present study, we investigated the role of miR-122 in hepatocarcinoma progression and explored the mechanism. In hepatocarcinoma tissues and cells, we used qRT-PCR to validate the miR-122 expression level. Next, we used colony formation by crystal violet staining assay to compare cell proliferation ability, and we used scratch test or Transwell assay to compare cell migration or invasion ability. We then conducted bioinformatics or luciferase reporter gene assay to prove the regulation effect of miR-122 on lamin B2 (LMNB2), and the biological function of LMNB2 was analyzed. We used nude mouse tumorigenicity assay… More >

Yong Wang^*, Rui-Zhi Jia^*, Shu Diao^*, Jun He^†, Li Jia^†

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.2, pp. 203-212, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15761480623959

Abstract Despite the considerable knowledge on the involvement of microRNA-101 (miR-101) in the evolution of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. In this study, miR-101 expression was markedly downregulated in the OSCC cell lines and tissues. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), ethynyl deoxyuridine (EdU), and colony formation assays showed that miR-101 inhibited the proliferation of OSCC cells. Flow cytometry and caspase 3 activity assays indicated that miR-101 induced OSCC cell apoptosis. Transwell assays demonstrated that this miRNA also repressed OSCC cell migration and invasion. Moreover, tube formation assay showed that miR-101 abated the More >

Daniela D’Angelo^*, Claudio Arra^†, Alfredo Fusco^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.2, pp. 191-201, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15761465603129

Abstract Long noncoding RNAs have been recently demonstrated to have an important role in fundamental biological processes, and their deregulated expression has been found in several human neoplasias. Our group has recently reported a drastic overexpression of the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) RPSAP52 (ribosomal protein SA pseudogene 52) in pituitary adenomas. We have shown that this lncRNA increased cell proliferation by upregulating the expression of the chromatinic proteins HMGA1 and HMGA2, functioning as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) through competitively binding to microRNA-15a (miR-15a), miR-15b, and miR-16. The aim of this work was to identify further… More >

Jianing Xu^*†, Qiyu Bo^‡, Xiang Zhang^§, Dapeng Lei^†, Jue Wang^*, Xinliang Pan^†

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 311-319, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X15801233454611

Abstract Hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HSCC) remains one of the most lethal malignancies in the head and neck. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) HOXA11-AS is proven to function as an oncogene and a therapeutic target in various tumors. Our previous study and others have demonstrated that HOXA11-AS is one of the most upregulated lncRNAs in HSCC. However, the role of HOXA11-AS in HSCC has not yet been identified. The current study demonstrated that the expression of HOXA11-AS was significantly upregulated in HSCC tumors and was positively associated with lymph node metastasis. Moreover, functional experiments revealed that HOXA11-AS More >

Minhua Wu^*1, Xubin Deng^†1, Yu Zhong^‡1, Li Hu^*, Xiujuan Zhang^§, Yanqin Liang^*, Xiaofang Li^¶, Xiaoxia Ye^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 299-309, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X15796890809840

Abstract MafF is a member of the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor Maf family and is commonly downregulated in multiple cancers. But the expression and function of MafF in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the relationship between endogenous MafF expression and HCC progression and explored the regulatory mechanism of MafF expression in HCC. We found that MafF decreased in HCC tissues and cells. Lentivirus-mediated MafF overexpression inhibited HCC cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase assay identified MafF as a direct target of miR-224-5p. RNA pull-down assay More >

Xingliang Feng^*1, Meng Zhang^*†1, Jialin Meng^*, Yongqiang Wang^†, Yi Liu^*, Chaozhao Liang^*, Song Fan^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 285-297, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X15791676105394

Abstract We aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms of progression and identify novel prognosis-related biomarkers for papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC) patients. The related data were derived from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and then analyzed by weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). The correlation between each module and the clinical traits were analyzed by Pearson’s correlation analysis. Pathway analysis was conducted to reveal potential mechanisms. Hub genes within each module were screened by intramodule analysis, and visualized by Cytoscape software. Furthermore, important hub genes were validated in an external dataset and clinical samples. A total… More >

Donghai Zhuang¹, Li Liang¹, Hongzhan Zhang, Xianguang Feng

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.4, pp. 399-408, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X15864296270581

Abstract miRNAs play an important role in progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this work, we assessed the function of miR-202 in human HCC and identified BCL2 as its target. We found miR-202 expression was found significantly downregulated, while BCL2 expression was markedly upregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines (HepG2, Hep3B, and HCCLM3). Both miR-202 and BCL2 were closely correlated with major vascular invasion and advanced TNM stage as well as overall survival of HCC patients. Overexpression of miR-202 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase, and prevented More >

Ting La^*†, Lei Jin^*‡, Xiao Ying Liu^*, Ze Hua Song^*, Margaret Farrelly^†, Yu Chen Feng^†, Xu Guang Yan^†, Yuan Yuan Zhang^*,† Rick F. Thorne^*,*§ Xu Dong Zhang^*†, Liu Teng^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.4, pp. 385-398, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X15861709922491

Abstract The deubiquitinase cylindromatosis (CYLD) functions as a tumor suppressor inhibiting cell proliferation in many cancer types including melanoma. Here we present evidence that a proportion of melanoma cells are nonetheless addicted to CYLD for survival. The expression levels of CYLD varied widely in melanoma cell lines and melanomas in vivo, with a subset of melanoma cell lines and melanomas displaying even higher levels of CYLD than melanocyte lines and nevi, respectively. Strikingly, although short hairpin RNA (shRNA) knockdown of CYLD promoted, as anticipated, cell proliferation in some melanoma cell lines, it reduced cell viability in… More >

Ming Jia^*1, Yulin Xiong^†1, Maoshi Li^*, Qing Mao^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.4, pp. 371-383, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X15853075736554

Abstract Chemotherapy is critical for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite the proapoptotic effects of corosolic acid (CA) treatment, its underlying mechanism is not completely clear. The aim of this study was to determine the molecular mechanism of CA in HCC treatment. MTT assay was used to determine the IC50 of CA. Immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence were used to detect the interaction and subcellular localization of Yes-associated protein (YAP) and mouse double minute 2 (MDM2). In addition, in vivo xenotransplantation was performed to assess the effects of CA, YAP, and MDM2 on tumorigenesis. The IC50 of… More >