Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiang Li, Shouwei Zhao, Yu Fu, Ping Zhang, Zhenxing Zhang, Jie Cheng, Laikui Liu, Hongbing Jiang
Summary: The study demonstrates that downregulation of miR-34a-5p is associated with the progression of HNSCC tumors and cells. Functionally, miR-34a-5p inhibits proliferation, migratory/invasive activity, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in HNSCC cells. Mechanistically, miR-34a-5p suppresses FLOT-2 expression and activates the MEK/ERK1/2 pathway.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chunfeng Liu, Matjaz Rokavec, Zekai Huang, Heiko Hermeking
Summary: This study reveals that curcumin can activate the KEAP1/NRF2/ARE pathway and induce ROS to upregulate the expression of miR-34 in colorectal cancer cells. Curcumin can also inhibit migration and invasion of cancer cells and promote mesenchymal-epithelial transition by activating this pathway. Therefore, activation of the KEAP1/NRF2/miR-34 axis may contribute to the tumor suppressive effects of curcumin.
CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sophie Mockly, Elisabeth Houbron, Herve Seitz
Summary: miR-34a does not meet the definition of tumor suppressor miRNAs, as it is not down-regulated in primary tumors and does not exhibit anti-tumorigenic activity. Therefore, synthetic administration of miR-34a is not efficient against solid tumors.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Mayur D. Mody, James W. Rocco, Sue S. Yom, Robert Haddad, Nabil F. Saba
Summary: Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common type of cancer worldwide, with the predominant risk factors being tobacco use, alcohol abuse, and oncogenic viruses. Treatment typically involves a multidisciplinary approach with surgery, radiotherapy, and systemic therapy, and is challenging due to site-specific and histology-specific variations.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Masashi Kawami, Shinnosuke Takenaka, Mizuki Akai, Ryoko Yumoto, Mikihisa Takano
Summary: The study revealed that in p53-wild type NSCLC cells, miR-34a led to an upregulation of α-SMA, enhanced p53 activity, and promoted cell migration. However, these effects were not significant in p53-deficient cells. Under p53-knockdown condition, miR-34a only upregulated α-SMA, illustrating a close relationship between p53 and miR-34a-induced EMT in p53-wild type NSCLC cells.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Esra Dirimtekin, Maria Mortoglou, Ceren Alavanda, Asmaa Benomar Yemlahi, Esra Arslan Ates, Ilter Guney, Pinar Uysal-Onganer
Summary: miR-34a is downregulated and associated with inhibition of tumor growth and invasion in ovarian cancer, while FOXP1 is reported as either an oncogene or tumor suppressor. It is found that miR-34a and FOXP1 are reversely correlated, and inhibition of miR-34a leads to upregulation of FOXP1 expression and increased cellular invasion. miR-34a could be a potential biomarker for improving the diagnostic efficiency of ovarian cancer, and its overexpression may reduce pathogenesis by targeting FOXP1.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rili Hao, Xinyu Song, Dongxiao Sun-Waterhouse, Xintong Tan, Feng Li, Dapeng Li
Summary: The study found that cadmium can induce renal damage in mice through inflammation and apoptosis via the miR-34a/Sirt1/p53 axis. This is the first report on the role of miR-34a/Sirt1/p53 axis in regulating cadmium-induced apoptosis and nephrotoxicity in mice, providing new insights into miRNA-based regulation of heavy metal induced-nephrotoxicity.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Junhua Gong, Minghua Cong, Hao Wu, Menghao Wang, He Bai, Jingyuan Wang, Keting Que, Kaiwen Zheng, Wenfeng Zhang, Xiaoli Yang, Jianping Gong, Hanping Shi, Mingyong Miao, Fangchao Yuan
Summary: The study investigates the role of the p53/miR-34a/SIRT1 positive feedback loop in the termination of liver regeneration and its potential relationship with liver cancer. The overexpression of p53 or miR-34a terminates liver regeneration early and enhances the proapoptotic effect of the positive feedback loop. Additionally, the positive feedback loop is inhibited in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with P53 mutations.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Qiuxia Li, Quanjiang Zhang
Summary: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous RNAs that regulate gene expression by binding to the mRNAs of protein-coding genes. In endothelial cells, miR-34a is an early identified miRNA that plays important roles in regulating endothelial functions, angiogenesis, differentiation, senescence, inflammatory response, responses to shear stress, and mitochondrial function. This review provides an overview of the current understanding of miR-34a in endothelial biology and discusses its potential as a therapeutic target for vascular diseases.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sibi Raj, Kavindra Kumar Kesari, Arun Kumar, Brijesh Rathi, Ashok Sharma, Piyush Kumar Gupta, Saurabh Kumar Jha, Niraj Kumar Jha, Petr Slama, Shubhadeep Roychoudhury, Dhruv Kumar
Summary: Head and neck cancer is a common type of cancer, often caused by tobacco and alcohol consumption. The c-MET/HGF signaling pathway plays a crucial role in the progression of HNSCC, promoting cell proliferation, motility, invasiveness, morphogenesis, and angiogenesis. Understanding this signaling pathway can lead to targeted and effective therapeutic strategies against HNSCC.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shantanu Gupta, Pritam Kumar Panda, Ronaldo F. Hashimoto, Shailesh Kumar Samal, Suman Mishra, Suresh Kr Verma, Yogendra Kumar Mishra, Rajeev Ahuja
Summary: Transfection of tumor suppressor miRNAs, such as miR-34a, miR-449a, and miR-16, can regulate apoptosis, senescence, and autophagy in cancer cells. However, the specific functions of miR-34a and miR-449a in autophagy and the cooperative or individual roles of these three miRNAs in the functional G1/S checkpoint signaling pathways in HeLa cells remain unknown. This study presents a synthetic Boolean network illustrating the regulatory effects of these miRNAs and demonstrates their advanced role in cervical cancer signaling pathways.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yiran Liang, Hong Liu, Jiaming Zhu, Nana Song, Zhihui Lu, Yi Fang, Jie Teng, Yan Dai, Xiaoqiang Ding
Summary: The study demonstrates that miR-34a activates the p53 signaling pathway to directly inhibit SIRT1, forming a positive feedback loop that contributes to podocyte injury in diabetic nephropathy. This plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrea Sacconi, Paola Muti, Claudio Pulito, Giulia Urbani, Matteo Allegretti, Raul Pellini, Nikolay Mehterov, Uri Ben-David, Sabrina Strano, Paolo Bossi, Giovanni Blandino
Summary: This study identified immune gene signature sets associated with TP53 status and co-mutations that classify HNSCC patients more accurately. These biomarkers can be easily implemented in a clinical setting.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zekai Huang, Markus Kaller, Heiko Hermeking
Summary: miR-34a and miR-34b/c, as direct targets of p53, play a crucial role in the tumor suppressive effects of p53. Inactivating miR-34a and/or miR-34b/c in colorectal cancer cell line HCT116 had significant effects on proliferation, migration, invasion, chemosensitivity, autophagy, and apoptosis. The concomitant deletion of miR-34a and miR-34b/c resulted in EMT signature enrichment, impaired gene repression by the p53-DREAM pathway, and elevated autophagy. A gene signature upregulated in cells with combined inactivation of miR-34a and miR-34b/c was associated with invasive colon cancer subtype CMS4, poor overall survival in CRC patients, and 5-FU resistance in CRC cell lines.
CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
William N. William Jr, Xin Zhao, Joy J. Bianchi, Heather Y. Lin, Pan Cheng, J. Jack Lee, Hannah Carter, Ludmil B. Alexandrov, Jim P. Abraham, David B. Spetzler, Steven M. Dubinett, Don W. Cleveland, Webster Cavenee, Teresa Davoli, Scott M. Lippman
Summary: The research explores the impact of chromosomal dosage alterations in head and neck tumors, revealing a potential induction of immune heat response in precancer stages, while leading to immune suppression and depletion of cytotoxic cells in tumor progression. Loss of 9p21.3 and 9p arm-level decrease can disrupt immunity and affect tumor infiltration of cytotoxic cells.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Angela J. Yoon, Shuang Wang, David Kutler, Richard D. Carvajal, Elizabeth Philipone, Tian Wang, Scott M. Peters, Dominic LaRoche, Brenda Y. Hernandez, Bradley D. McDowell, Claire R. Stewart, Fatemeh Momen-Heravi, Regina M. Santella
HEAD AND NECK-JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES AND SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK
(2020)
Review
Oncology
Matthen Mathew, Mariam Zade, Nadia Mezghani, Romil Patel, Yu Wang, Fatemeh Momen-Heravi
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
F. Momen-Heravi, R. A. Friedman, S. Albeshri, A. Sawle, M. Kebschull, A. Kuhn, P. N. Papapanou
Summary: Genome-wide transcriptomic analyses in whole tissues may not accurately identify cell type-specific information. This study utilized computational methods to decompose gene expression in gingival tissues into cell type-specific signatures, identifying differentially expressed genes and dysregulated pathways in periodontitis. Validation of these findings highlighted the potential roles of these genes in the pathogenesis of periodontitis.
JOURNAL OF DENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Angela J. Yoon, Regina M. Santella, Shuang Wang, David I. Kutler, Richard D. Carvajal, Elizabeth Philipone, Tian Wang, Scott M. Peters, Claire R. Stewart, Fatemeh Momen-Heravi, Scott Troob, Matt Levin, Zohreh AkhavanAghdam, Austin J. Shackelford, Carleigh R. Canterbury, Masataka Shimonosono, Brenda Y. Hernandez, Bradley D. McDowell, Hiroshi Nakagawa
Summary: A miRNA-based prognostic model and mortality risk score formula were used to predict survival outcome in early-stage oral cancer patients. Surgery with neck dissection significantly improved survival in high-risk group, while surgery only was associated with survival benefit in low-risk group. Targeting hTERT-expressing cells with a DNA cancer vaccine may prevent cancer recurrence in high-risk early-stage oral cancer patients.
JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Fatemeh Momen-Heravi, Donna Catalano, Austin Talis, Gyongyi Szabo, Shashi Bala
Summary: The study showed that inhibition of miR-132 using locked nucleic acid could suppress fibrosis and inflammatory responses in the liver. Monitoring treatment efficacy by observing miR-132 levels is crucial, and increased miR-132 levels were associated with poor survival outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.
MOLECULAR THERAPY-NUCLEIC ACIDS
(2021)
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Hyunjin Kim, Fatemeh Momen-Heravi, Steven Chen, Per Hoffmann, Moritz Kebschull, Panos N. Papapanou
Summary: The study investigated differential DNA methylation in gingival tissues in periodontal health, gingivitis, and periodontitis, and its association with differential mRNA expression. The concomitant study of DNA methylation and gene expression patterns may identify genes whose expression is epigenetically regulated in periodontitis.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PERIODONTOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Chi T. Viet, Gary Yu, Kesava Asam, Carissa M. Thomas, Angela J. Yoon, Yan Chen Wongworawat, Mina Haghighiabyaneh, Courtney A. Kilkuts, Caitlyn M. McGue, Marcus A. Couey, Nicholas F. Callahan, Coleen Doan, Paul C. Walker, Khanh Nguyen, Stephanie C. Kidd, Steve C. Lee, Anupama Grandhi, Allen C. Cheng, Ashish A. Patel, Elizabeth Philipone, Olivia L. Ricks, Clint T. Allen, Bradley E. Aouizerat
Summary: The study focused on early-stage OSCC and developed a risk score called REASON score, which combines clinicopathological characteristics with a 12-gene methylation signature to predict the risk of 5-year mortality. The panel of 10 non-molecular features predicted 5-year mortality risk with a c-index=0.67, while the molecular panel of a 12-gene methylation signature showed significant differential methylation between patients who survived vs. died by 5 years. The combined molecular and non-molecular panel formed the REASON score, predicting the risk of death with a c-index=0.915.
BIOMARKER RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Panagiota Agrafioti, Joshua Morin-Baxter, Kranthi K. K. Tanagala, Sunil Dubey, Peter Sims, Evanthia Lalla, Fatemeh Momen-Heravi
Summary: By using single-cell RNA-sequencing, this study revealed the heterogeneity and transcriptional heterogeneity of macrophages in periodontitis. The study found that macrophages in periodontitis express both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers, and their polarization is closely associated with the inflammatory response.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Masataka Shimonosono, Koji Tanaka, Samuel Flashner, Satoshi Takada, Norihiro Matsuura, Yasuto Tomita, Uma M. Sachdeva, Eishi Noguchi, Veena Sangwan, Lorenzo Ferri, Fatemeh Momen-Heravi, Angela J. Yoon, Andres J. Klein-Szanto, J. Alan Diehl, Hiroshi Nakagawa
Summary: This study demonstrates that ethanol induces oxidative stress in SCC cells, leading to apoptosis of most cells but enrichment of CD44H cells through autophagy. Inhibition of autophagy enhances ethanol-induced apoptosis and reduces CD44H cell enrichment, xenograft tumor growth, and organoid formation. Autophagy may be a potential therapeutic target for ethanol-associated SCC.
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Jinli Li, Fatemeh Momen-Heravi, Xun Wu, Kaili He
Summary: This study reveals the involvement of METTL14 in the regulation of cell proliferation in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) through the MALAT1/miR-224-5p/KDM2A axis.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Kripa B. Patel, Wenxuan Liang, Malte J. Casper, Venkatakaushik Voleti, Wenze Li, Alexis J. Yagielski, Hanzhi T. Zhao, Citlali Perez Campos, Grace Sooyeon Lee, Joyce M. Liu, Elizabeth Philipone, Angela J. Yoon, Kenneth P. Olive, Shana M. Coley, Elizabeth M. C. Hillman
Summary: The study introduces the feasibility of using microscopes based on swept confocally aligned planar excitation technology for real-time volumetric histological imaging of intact living tissue. These microscopes enable rapid image acquisition without the need for tissue excision or staining, allowing for dynamic assessment of tissue perfusion and function, potentially facilitating point-of-care detection of cellular-level biomarkers.
NATURE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Kranthi Kiran Kishore Tanagala, Joshua Morin-Baxter, Richard Carvajal, Maryum Cheema, Sunil Dubey, Hiroshi Nakagawa, Angela Yoon, Yi-Shing L. Cheng, Alison Taylor, Jeffrey Nickerson, Akiva Mintz, Fatemeh Momen-Heravi
Summary: Understanding the role of SP140 in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is crucial for cancer immunotherapies. Our study found that higher expression of SP140 in tumors was associated with improved survival and a favorable response to immunotherapy. SP140 negatively regulated STAT1 transcription and phosphorylation and induced IFN-gamma signaling, leading to increased antitumor activity of macrophages. SP140 expression also predicted the response to immunotherapy in HNSCCs and melanoma. These findings suggest that SP140 could be a potential therapeutic target and biomarker in cancer immunotherapies.
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
(2022)