MicroRNAs have recently emerged as regulators of many biological processes including cell proliferation, development and differentiation. This study identified that miR-22 was statistically decreased in colorectal cancer clinical specimens and highly metastatic cell lines. Moreover, low miR-22 expression was associated with tumor metastasis, advanced clinical stage and relapse. Consistent with clinical observations, miR-22 significantly suppressed the ability of colorectal cancer cells to growth and metastasize in vitro and in vivo. Sp1 was validated as a target of miR-22, and ectopic expression of Sp1 compromised the inhibitory effects of miR-22. In addition, Sp1 repressed miR-22 transcription by binding to the miR-22 promoter, hence forming a negative feedback loop. Further study has shown that miR-22 suppresses the activity of PTEN/AKT pathway by Sp1. Our present results implicate the newly indentified miR-22/Sp1/PTEN/AKT axis might represent a potential therapeutic target for colorectal cancer.

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Abstract Background: The minichromosome maintenance (MCM) family, a core component of DNA replication, is involved in cell cycle process. Abnormal proliferation has been identified as a crucial process in the evolution of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the roles of the MCM family in CRC remain largely unknown. Methods: Here, the expression, prognostic significance and functions of the MCM family in CRC were systematically analyzed through a series of online databases including CCLE, Oncomine, HPA, cBioPortal and cancerSEA. Results: We found all MCM family members were highly expressed in CRC, but only elevation of MCM3 expression was associated with poor prognosis of patients with CRC. Further in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to examine the role of MCM3 in CRC. Analysis of CCLE database and qRT-PCR assay confirmed that MCM3 was overexpressed in CRC cell lines. Moreover, knockdown of MCM3 significantly suppressed transition of G1 to S phase in CRC cells. Furthermore, down-regulation of MCM3 inhibited CRC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and promoted apoptosis. Conclusion: These findings reveal that MCM3 may function as an oncogene and a potential prognosis biomarker. Thus, the association between abnormal expression of MCM3 and the initiation of CRC deserves further exploration.

SummaryBackgroundA systematic review and meta-analysis of all available publications was performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) using a C-Arm Cone-Beam CT (CBCT) system in patients with lung nodules.Material/MethodsThedatabases of PUBMED, OVID, EBSCO, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were systematically searched for relevant original articles on the diagnostic accuracy of CBCT-guided PTNB for the diagnosis of nodules in the lungs. Diagnostic indices including sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and diagnostic score (DS) were calculated. Moreover,summary receiver operating characteristic curves (SROC) were constructed with Stata (version 13.0), Rev Man (version 5.3), and Meta-disc (version 1.4) software. Other clinical indices such as incidence of complications were also recorded.ResultsEight studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR, DS, and SROC with 95% confidence intervals were 0.96 (0.93–0.98), 1.00 (0.91–1.00), 711.15 (9.48–53325.89), 0.04 (0.02–0.07), 16585.29 (284.88–9.7e+05), 9.72 (5.65–13.78), and 0.99 (0.97–0.99), respectively. The incidence of pneumothorax and hemorrhage was 10–29.27% and 1.22–47.25%, respectively.ConclusionsCBCT-guided PTNB has an acceptable rate of complications and is associated with a reasonable radiation exposure. Moreover, it is a highly accurate and safe technique for the diagnosis of lung nodules and can be recommended to be used in routine clinical practice.