Abstract. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common solid neoplasm of adult kidney, and the major treatment for metastatic RCC (mRCC) is molecular targeted therapy. Sorafenib, as a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), has significantly improved clinical outcomes of mRCC patients. However, complete or long-term remissions are rarely achieved due to intolerance to dose-related adverse effects. It is therefore, necessary to explore novel target molecules for treatment or to enhance the therapeutic efficiency of present TKI for mRCC treatment. Anoikis is a specific type of apoptosis that plays a vital physiological role in regulating tissue homoeostasis. Anoikis-resistance is of critical importance for metastasis of various human cancers including mRCC. However, the precise mechanisms on anoikis-resistance in mRCC are still unclear. Tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB) belongs to the Trk family of neurotrophin receptors. Previous investigations have implied that activation or overexpression of TrkB promoted proliferation, survival, angiogenesis, anoikis-resistance and metastasis in human cancers. Yet, the correlation between TrkB and anoikis-resistance in mRCC has rarely been reported. The aim of the present study was to explore the impact of TrkB on anoikis-resistance and targeted therapy in mRCC. Our data revealed that anoikis-resistant ACHN cells presented with tolerance to detachment-induced apoptosis, excessive proliferation and aggressive invasion, accompanied by upregulation of TrkB expression in contrast to parental cells. Furthermore, TrkB silencing caused apoptosis, inhibited proliferation, retarded invasion as well as improved anticancer efficiency of sorafenib in anoikis-resistant ACHN cells through inactivation of PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK pathways. Our data may offer a novel potential therapeutic strategy for mRCC.

Prostate cancer is a kind of male malignant tumor, which has brought tremendous health threat to men. Prostate cancer is difficult to be cured because of high incidence and metastasis rate. Thereby, it is of great urgency to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism of prostate cancer for the treatment of this cancer. LINC00473 dysregulation has been observed in many cancers. However, the role of LINC00473 was unknown in prostate cancer. In the current study, we discovered that prostate cancer cells presented high expression of LINC00473, and LINC00473 inhibition limited cell proliferation and the expression of proteins in JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway. Additionally, LINC00473 acted as an up-stream factor for miR-195-5p to negatively modulate miR-195-5p expression. Moreover, SEPT2 interacted with miR-195-5p in prostate cancer and SEPT2 expression was positively modulated by LINC00473 and negatively regulated by miR-195-5p. Last, the inhibitory effect of LINC00473 knockdown on cell proliferation and expression of proteins of JAK-STAT3 signaling pathway was restored by SEPT2 overexpression. All in all, LINC00473 contributed to cell proliferation via JAK-STAT3 signaling pathway by regulating miR-195-5p/SEPT2 axis in prostate cancer, which provided a novel therapeutic tactic for prostate cancer patients.

Background Testified as crucial participators in different types of human malignancies, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been revealed to exert a significant effect on the complicated courses of tumor progression. Although existing literatures have revealed the oncogenic role of lncRNA homeobox A11 antisense RNA (HOXA11‐AS) in multiple cancers, the underlying role of HOXA11‐AS in prostate cancer (PCa) and its potential molecular mechanism remains poorly understood. Aim To decipher the molecular performance of HOXA11‐AS in PCa. Methods The expression of HOXA11‐AS, miR‐518b and actinin alpha 4 (ACTN4) was detected by a real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Colony formation, EdU, flow cytometry, wound healing, and transwell assays were utilized to explore the biological role of HOXA11‐AS in PCa. The interaction between RNAs (CCCTC‐binding factor [CTCF], HOXA11‐AS, miR‐518b, and ACTN4) was tested via chromatin immunoprecipitation, luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. Results HOXA11‐AS in PCa cells was expressed at high levels. Silenced HOXA11‐AS in PCa cells could lead to a significant elevation in the abilities of cell proliferation and migration whereas a remarkable declination in cell apoptosis capability. Subsequent molecular mechanism assays confirmed that HOXA11‐AS bound with miR‐518b and negatively regulates miR‐518b expression. Besides, HOXA11‐AS could regulate the expression of ACTN4 by sponging miR‐518b. Moreover, rescued‐function assays revealed that miR‐518b inhibition or ACTN4 upregulation reversed the repressive effect of HOXA11‐AS knockdown on PCa progression. Furthermore, CTCF was validated to activate HOXA11‐AS transcription in PCa cells. Conclusions CTCF‐induced upregulation of HOXA11‐AS facilitates PCa progression via miR‐518b/ACTN4 axis, providing a new target for PCa treatment.

Background Prostate cancer (PCa) belongs to an epithelial malignancy that occurs in the prostate gland and is the most common malignancy of the male genitourinary system. Referring to related literature, circSERPINA3 has been reported to be up-regulated in PCa. However, its biological function remains unclear. Purpose This study aimed to reveal the specific role and relevant molecular mechanism of circSERPINA3 in PCa. Methods RT-qPCR was used to examine gene expression and functional analyses were conducted to verify the effect of circSERPINA3 on cell apoptosis, autophagy and aerobic glycolysis in PCa cells. Mechanism assays were applied to evaluate the relationship among circSERPINA3/miR-653-5p/SERPINA3/BUD13. Results CircSERPINA3 was verified to be up-regulated in PCa cells and to inhibit cell apoptosis while promoting aerobic glycolysis and autophagy in PCa cells. CircSERPINA3 and SERPINA3 were also testified to bind to miR-653-5p through a line of mechanism experiments. Moreover, it was discovered that circSERPINA3 could stabilize SERPINA3 mRNA via recruiting BUD13. Additionally, SERPINA3 was verified to inhibit cell apoptosis, while promoting aerobic glycolysis and autophagy in PCa cells. Conclusions Our study suggested that circSERPINA3 regulated apoptosis, autophagy and aerobic glycolysis of PCa cells by competitively binding to miR-653-5p and recruiting BUD13. Graphic abstract

Docetaxel (DTX) treatment effectively prolongs the overall survival of patients with prostate cancer. However, most patients eventually develop resistance to chemotherapy and experience tumor progression or even death. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) affect docetaxel chemosensitivity. However, the biological role and regulatory mechanisms of lncRNAs in docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer remain unclear. Differences in lncRNAs were evaluated by lncRNA sequencing and evaluated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and TrkB expression was measured through western blot analysis. Proliferation was measured using the MTS, while apoptosis and cell cycle were measured using flow cytometry. In addition, migration and invasion were measured using transwell assays. Forty-eight female BALB/c nude mice were used for subcutaneous tumorigenicity and lung metastasis assays. We found that LINC01963 was overexpressed in the PC3-DR cells. LINC01963 silencing enhanced the chemosensitivity of PC3-DR to docetaxel and inhibited tumorigenicity and lung metastasis, while LINC01963 overexpression enhanced the chemoresistance of PC3 cells to docetaxel. It was found that LINC01963 bind to miR-216b-5p. The miR-216b-5p inhibitor reversed the suppressive effect of sh-LINC01963 on PC3-DR cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, miR-216b-5p can bind to the 3′-UTR of NTRK2 and inhibit TrkB protein levels. TrkB enhances docetaxel resistance in prostate cancer and reverses the effects of LINC01963 silencing and miR-216b-5p overexpression. In conclusion, silencing LINC01963 inhibited TrkB protein level to enhance the chemosensitivity of PC3-DR to docetaxel by means of competitively binding to miR-216b-5p. This study illustrates that LINC01963 is a novel therapeutic target for treating prostate cancer patients with DTX resistance.

10 μM of ICAII has the most powerful effect. MiR-155 has the highest fold changes among candidate miRNAs in diabetic like HCECs (P<0.05). MiR-155 increased and eNOS decreased remarkably in DM group, while ICAII intervention could inhibit the miR-155 expression, which led to the significantly higher eNOS expression and NO concentration (P<0.05). In lentivirus mediated miR-155 overexpression with or without ICAII intervention model, we found the similar trend with the above diabetic model. Conclusions: MiR-155/eNOS signal pathway may be involved in the process of diabetic HCECs dysfunction. ICAII could promote the recovery of the endothelial dysfunction by regulating the miR-155/eNOS signal pathway. Background: The neurotrophic receptor tropomyosin related kinase (TrkB) is associated with tumor progression in neuroblastoma and certain human malignancies. Recent reports indicate TrkB may participate in the epithelialmesenchymal transition (EMT). E-cadherin, an important EMT regulator, and three E-cadherin repressors, Twist, Snail and Zeb1, are critical for TrkB to induce EMT. This study investigates whether TrkB induces EMT in PC-3 cells and its possible molecular mechanisms. Methods: The biological role of TrkB in CRC was analyzed using RNA interference against TrkB in the PC-3 cell line to assess tumor progression and the expression of some proteins key to EMT in vitro and in vivo. Results: In vitro, cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion were significantly inhibited by TrkB knockdown, while the anoikis rate increased in TrkB siRNA-transfected cells compared to control. After TrkB knockdown, expressions of the proteins key to EMT, including Twist, Snail and Zeb1 in siTrkB were significantly down-regulated; conversely, E-cadherin expression was up-regulated. In vivo, high expression of TrkB promoted tumorigenesis and metastasis in nude mice with prostatic cancer. Conclusions: High TrkB expression enhances malignant potential in terms of proliferation, migration, invasion, and anoikis resistance in PC-3 cells. These results indicate TrkB could induce EMT and play an important role in prostate cancer progression to metastasis.

Background In recent years, triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) was a new indicator of insulin resistance, and it has been widely reported that it may be associated with serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentrations. Aims We intended to investigate the possible connection between serum PSA concentration and the TyG index. Methods This is a cross-sectional study of adults with complete data on TyG and serum PSA concentrations (ng/ml) from the NHANES, 2003–2010. The TyG index is obtained by the formula below: TyG = Ln [triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting glucose(mg/dL)/2]. Multivariate regression analysis and subgroup analysis were used to examine the connection between the TyG index and serum PSA levels. Results Multiple regression analysis of the weighted linear model showed that individuals with a higher TyG index had lower PSA levels. Subgroup analyses and interaction tests showed no apparent dependence on age, race/ethnicity, BMI, household income ratio, education level, and marital status on this negative association (all interactions p > 0.05). Conclusions TyG index is related to lower serum PSA concentrations in adult men from the USA. Further comprehensive prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a common type of kidney cancer with a high mortality rate, and the discovery of new therapeutic markers is essential to improve patient survival. The plasminogen activator urokinase receptor (PLAUR) plays key roles in tissue remodeling and extracellular matrix degradation, which contribute to invasion and metastasis, a major feature of tumor malignancy. The role of PLAUR in ccRCC pathology has not been deeply studied. In this study, we collected the mRNA expression data of 33 tumor types, each derived from human patients obtained from TCGA database, and comprehensively analyzed the correlation between the expression of PLAUR in tumors and prognosis. Then, we studied the relationship between PLAUR expression in ccRCC and specific clinical features of ccRCC patients. In addition, we analyzed the function and mechanism of PLAUR in ccRCC. Our results showed that PLAUR was significantly overexpressed in ccRCC and that both PLAUR levels and PLAUR methylation levels significantly correlated with poor prognosis. Our results also suggest that PLAUR is involved in the progression of ccRCC. The results of functional and mechanistic analysis of PLAUR showed that PLAUR is involved in inflammatory and immune-related pathways in ccRCC; other data showed that PLAUR expression may affect the infiltration of multiple immune cell types in ccRCC and that PLAUR levels were significantly and positively correlated with the expression of immune checkpoints. In conclusion, our findings suggest that high PLAUR expression can promote the progression of ccRCC to poor prognosis, and thus PLAUR may serve as both a potential marker for predicting macrophage infiltration and immune microenvironment status and as an important immunotherapy target for ccRCC.