Background/Aims: A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM) 17 has been reported to be implicated in cancer cells invasion. Nevertheless, its potential role in lung adenocarcinoma has not been addressed clearly. Methods: RT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression of miR-326 and ADAM17 in lung adenocarcinoma samples (n=73). miR-326 mimics and inhibitor were tansfected in human A549 and SPCA1 cell lines. The transwell assay was used to detect the cell invasive ability. The regulation mechanism was evaluated by luciferase reporter assay. The markers of (epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition) EMT were detected by using Western blot assay. Results: We found increased expression of ADAM17 in lung adenocarcinoma and cell lines. In vitro, up-regulation of ADAM17 promoted cells invasion, while silencing of ADAM17 inhibited cells invasion. Meanwhile, ADAM17 could affect the markers of EMT. Furthermore, we confirmed that ADAM17 is a target of miR-326, which is involved in EMT and cells invasion. Conclusions: These findings revealed that ADAM17, a target of miR-326, promoted EMT-induced cells invasion in lung adenocarcinoma.

Abstract. At present, one of the major problems of cancer therapy is drug resistance. Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), a marker of the multidrug-resistant phenotype, affects drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion in normal tissues. Meanwhile, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have attracted increasing attention as a medium of cell-to-cell communication. However, the association between BCRP and circulating EVs remains unclear. The present study demonstrated that patients who did not respond or had progressive/ stable disease following chemotherapy had markedly higher BCRP levels compared to those that did not receive chemotherapy. Moreover, BCRP was upregulated at the mRNA and protein levels in tumor-derived circulating EVs from patients with a poor response to chemotherapy. Interestingly, the results also demonstrated that BCRP was co-expressed with MUC1, which is frequently expressed in breast cancer and is exported via EVs, and both BCRP and MUC1 were up-regulated after chemotherapy. In conclusion, the present study indicates that tumor-derived circulating EVs that carry BCRP may serve as a predictive biomarker of the response to chemotherapy for breast cancer. In addition, the results provide a window for individualized treatment to overcome resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs.

Long intergenic non-protein-coding RNA 02163 (LINC02163) has been reported to be upregulated and work as an oncogene in gastric cancer. The aims of the present study were to determine the expression profile and clinical value of LINC02163 in breast cancer. Additionally, the detailed functions of LINC02163 in breast cancer were explored and relevant molecular events were elucidated. In this study, LINC02163 was upregulated in breast cancer, and its expression level was closely associated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stage. Patients with breast cancer presenting high LINC02163 expression exhibited shorter overall survival than those presenting low LINC02163 expression. Knockdown of LINC02163 resulted in a decrease in breast cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and an increase in cell apoptosis in vitro. In addition, silencing of LINC02163 impeded breast cancer tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistic investigation revealed that LINC02163 served as a competing endogenous RNA for microRNA-511-3p (miR-511-3p) and consequently upregulated the expression of highmobility group A2 (HMGA2), a downstream target of miR-511-3p. Intriguingly, miR-511-3p inhibition and HMGA2 restoration counteracted the effects of LINC02163 deficiency on the malignant properties of breast cancer cells. LINC02163 exerts cancer-promoting effects during the initiation and progression of breast cancer via regulation of the miR-511-3p/HMGA2 axis. Our findings add to our understanding of the roles of the LINC02163/miR-511-3p/HMGA2 pathway as a regulator of breast cancer pathogenesis and may be useful in the development of lncRNA-directed cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy.

Rationale:Diffuse idiopathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia (DIPNECH) is a rare idiopathic disease with only about 100 cases reported in the literature.Patient concerns:Here, we presented 4 cases of DIPNECH. Four patients included 2 females and 2 males, aged 54 to 64 years old; 3 had no smoking history and 1 had history of smoking for 30 years. Surgical resection was performed for every patient. Cases 1 and 3 did not receive postoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and case 2 received 4 times of postoperative chemotherapy. Case 4 just finished the operation and after a period of time, he will receive postoperative chemotherapy.Diagnoses:Case 1: A 57-year-old female had chest pain, and computer tomography (CT) examination prompted a mass shadow of left lung lower lobe. Case 2: A 64-year-old female had cough and expectoration for more than 1 month. CT examination showed: a lump with diameter of about 2.5 cm and irregular edge was in right lung upper lobe, being largely possibly lung cancer. Case 3: A 54-year-old male, CT examination accidentally found a long strip-shaped nodule in left lung oblique fissure when checkup's, and he had no fever, cough, expectoration, chest tightness, or chest pain. Case 4: A 61-year-old male, checkup's CT examination accidentally found a nodule, fibrosis, bronchiectasis, and secondary infection in the left lower lobe. Combined with pathological morphology and immunohistochemistry, cases 1 and 3 were diagnosed as DIPNECH with multiple carcinoid tumorlet formation and chronic inflammation and bronchiectasis, case 2 was diagnosed as an adenocarcinoma with DIPNECH and multiple carcinoid tumorlet formation, case 4 was diagnosed as an adenocarcinoma with DIPNECH and multiple carcinoid tumorlet formation and chronic inflammation and bronchiectasis.Interventions:Surgical resection was performed for every patient. Cases 1 and 3 did not receive postoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and case 2 received 4 times of postoperative chemotherapy. Case 4 just finished the operation and after a period of time, he will receive postoperative chemotherapy.Outcomes:Four patients have been followed up and have had good condition.Lessons:DIPNECH is often found accidentally in a surgical specimen, is easily missed, and needs careful observation. Immunohistochemistry is necessary to make this diagnosis.

O-GlcNAcylation (O-GlcNAc) is a posttranslational modification that is mediated by O-GlcNAc-transferase (OGT) and reversed by O-GlcNAcase (OGA). Increasing evidence indicates that protein O-GlcNAcylation is increased in various types of cancer. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the expression and function of both OGT and OGA in bladder cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Expression data of OGT and OGA at the mRNA level was obtained from the Oncomine database. Effects of OGT and OGA on cell proliferate, invasive and migratory abilities were assessed using MTT, wound healing, cell invasive assay, and cell cycle analysis. In vivo assay was also performed in nude mice. The results revealed that the expression of OGT in bladder cancer tissues is higher than that of normal tissues, while the OGA level was found to be lower in cancer tissues. We also found that knockdown of OGT could inhibit cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and induce cell cycle arrest, while these are reversed when OGA is inhibited. We also observed that O-GlcNAcylation could promote tumor formation in vivo, compared with negative control. In summary, this study describes the oncogenic role of O-GlcNAcylation in bladder cancer cells.