Zuwei Li

microRNA‑572 functions as an oncogene and a potential biomarker for renal cell carcinoma prognosis

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the third most common urological malignancy in the USA and represents 2‑3% of all adult malignancies. Furthermore, the incidence of RCC has been progressively increasing over recent years. Although the morbidity of treatment has decreased with the use of multidisciplinary synthetic therapy, the prognosis of terminal cancer remains poor, with a 5‑year survival rate of 5‑10%. MicroRNAs (miRs) have been correlated with the regulation of 30‑60% of the protein-coding genes and act as oncogenes or anti‑oncogenes in RCC. Considering this research, miRNAs are likely to be the biomarkers for tumor diagnosis, prognosis and the targets for RCC management. In the present study, 42 formalin‑fixed paraffin‑embedded RCC samples were used. The expression of miR‑572 and the role of miR‑572 in RCC cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis was determined by performing reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, wound scratch assays, cell proliferation assays, Transwell assays and flow cytometry assays, respectively. Further experiments were conducted to clarify the correlation between miR‑572 expression and clinicopathological variables or overall survival. Furthermore, the expression levels of miR‑572 were evaluated for the prognosis value of patients with RCC. Upregulation of miR‑572 was observed in RCC tissues and RCC cell lines. miR‑572 promoted 786‑O and ACHN cell proliferation and mobility and inhibited early apoptosis. In Cox proportional hazard regression analyses, results of the univariate and multivariate analysis indicated that the patients with low miR‑572 expression had a significantly longer overall survival compared with the patients with high miR‑572 expression (univariate analysis, P=0.037; multivariate analysis, P=0.034). Results of the Kaplan‑Meier survival curves revealed that the patients with downregulated miR‑572 have a significantly longer overall survival compared with the patients with highly expressed miR‑572 (P=0.019). To conclude, the results of the present study suggest that tumor oncogene miR‑572 is a potential biomarker for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis for RCC.

Giant posterior pararenal schwannoma: A case report and review of literature

Schwannomas, arising from Schwann cells of peripheral nerve sheaths, are primarily benign tumors. They are rarely found in the retroperitoneal space. To date, ~30 cases on giant retroperitoneal schwannomas have been reported. Those with a location of pararenal space are even rarer. Clinically, they are often misdiagnosed as malignancies. In the present study, a case of a 35-year-old woman with a giant schwannoma measuring 13 × 8.5 × 6.5 cm in the posterior pararenal space of left retroperitoneum was presented, which was thought to be a malignant tumor from the result of computed tomography scan. Later postoperative pathology and immunohistochemistry were consistent with benign schwannoma. To the best of our knowledge, this was the largest posterior pararenal schwannoma reported in literature. It is significant to report this case, and summarize the characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of the similar cases. Furthermore, a brief review of the previously published cases in literature is provided.

Primary small‑cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the urinary bladder: A rare case and a review of the literature

Primary small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNEC) of the urinary bladder is a rare tumor characterized by poor differentiation and high aggressiveness. Only ~150 cases have been reported in the literature to date. We herein present a case of an 87-year-old man who presented with hematuria and was found to have an ill-defined mass in the urinary bladder on computed tomography and cystoscopic examination. On pathological examination following tumor biopsy, the mucosa of the bladder wall was found to be extensively infiltrated by neuroendocrine carcinoma, positive for CD56 and synaptophysin and negative for epithelial membrane antigen, consistent with SCNEC of the urinary bladder. The patient refused further surgical treatment and succumbed to the disease 2 months after the diagnosis. In the present study, this rare case of primary SCNEC of the urinary bladder is presented, along with a discussion on the clinical presentation, immunohistochemical and cytomorphological characteristics, management, biological behavior and prognosis of this disease.

Giant paratesticular liposarcoma: A case report and review of the literature

Paratesticular liposarcoma is an infrequent tumor characterized by a growing, painless, inguinal or scrotal mass. Only about 200 cases have been reported as of yet in literature, however there are a few cases regarding giant paratesticular liposarcoma measuring over 10 cm. The disease may be commonly misdiagnosed prior to operation. Improper treatment tends to lead to local recurrence and distant metastasis. The current report presents a case of a 51-year-old patient with a large, painless right scrotum. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 7.8×5.8×10.4 cm nonhomogeneous space-occupying lesion of the right testis, which was firstly diagnosed as a spermatocytoma. Following this, a radical orchiectomy of the right testis was performed, however, it appeared to be a dedifferentiated liposarcoma, following histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry. Due to the large size of the tumor, it is significant to report the characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of the similar cases. The current study additionally presents a supplementary review of previously published cases in literature and focuses on discussion regarding the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, histopathology and immunohistochemical features and treatment of this disease.

MiR-302b regulates cell functions and acts as a potential biomarker to predict recurrence in bladder cancer

Background: Bladder cancer is the most common urogenital tumor with substantial morbidity, high recurrence rate and mortality. miRNAs, a class of endogenous noncoding RNA, were found to involve in the genesis, maintenance and metastasis of cancer. Genomic profiling revealed that miR‐302b is down‐regulated in bladder cancer while its functions in bladder cancer remain to be ascertained. Methods: Cell functional assays including wound healing assay, CCK‐8 assay, Transwell assay and flow cytometry assay were performed to clarify the functions of miR‐302b expression in cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis in BC. Furthermore, RT‐qPCR was performed to study the expression of miR‐302b in bladder cancer tissues and the prognostic value of altered miR‐302b expression with 48 formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded bladder urothelial carcinoma samples. Results: The results of RT‐qPCR demonstrated that expression level of miR‐302b was significantly reduced in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines. The cells after transfected with miR‐302b mimic showed lower mobility, lower proliferation and increased apoptosis, while opposite results were obtained after inhibiting the expression of miR‐302b. The prognosis analysis demonstrated that the patients with low expression of miR‐302b experienced high risks of recurrence. Conclusions: The results of our study demonstrate that miR‐302b regulates cell functions and acts as a potential biomarker to predict recurrence in bladder cancer.

Oncogene miR-154-5p regulates cellular function and acts as a molecular marker with poor prognosis in renal cell carcinoma

Aims: In adult population, the renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common urological malignancies. It is meaningful to research for the molecular markers which are involved in the occurrence and development of RCC. Therefore, we concentrate on illuminating the role of microRNA‐154‐5p in progression of RCC and explore its prognostic values. Main methods: The real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) was applied to determine expression level of miR‐154‐5p in tissues. Afterwards, the transfected cell lines ACHN and 786‐O were used for the CCK‐8 assay, MTT assay, wound healing assay, transwell assay and flow cytometric assay to explore the role of miR‐154‐5p in regulating cellular function. In addition, formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded (FFPE) renal cancer samples were used for detecting the relationship between expression level of miR‐154‐5p and clinical information. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate Cox proportional‐hazards regression analyses, and the Kaplan‐Meier survival curves were performed to evaluate the prognostic value of miR‐154‐5p in RCC. Key findings: The RT‐qPCR indicated that miR‐154‐5p is up‐regulated in RCC pathologic specimens and cell lines. Results of study also demonstrated that upregulation of miR‐154‐5p reduced cell apoptosis and promoted cell proliferation, viability, migration as well as invasion in RCC cells. The prognosis analyses indicated that the expression level of miR‐154‐5p is associated with the prognosis of renal cancer, and the overall survival of patients with low expression is longer. Significance: The present study revealed that the oncogene miR‐154‐5p regulates cellular function and acts as a molecular marker with poor prognosis in renal cell carcinoma.

MicroRNA‑222‑3p promotes tumor cell migration and invasion and inhibits apoptosis, and is correlated with an unfavorable prognosis of patients with renal cell carcinoma

The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of microRNA (miR)‑222‑3p in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The expression level of miR‑222‑3p was detected in RCC tissues and cell lines (ACHN, 786‑O, Caki‑1 and 769‑P) and was identified to be significantly upregulated compared with the level in adjacent normal renal tissues and HK‑2 cells. Further inxa0vitro experiments demonstrated that the over-expression of miR‑222‑3p promoted the migration and invasion, and attenuated the apoptosis of 786‑O cells, whereas the knockdown of miR‑222‑3p suppressed the migration and invasion and induced the apoptosis of 786‑O cells. Similar results were observed in the ACHN cell line in terms of migration, invasion and apoptosis. Furthermore, the expression level of miR‑222‑3p was measured in 42 RCC formaldehyde‑fixed paraffin‑embedded samples, and the association between the expression of miR‑222‑3p and the pathological characteristics and overall survival rate of patients with RCC was analyzed. The results demonstrated that patients with a higher expression of miR‑222‑3p had a significantly lower overall survival rate, compared with those with a lower expression of miR‑222‑3p [hazard ratio (HR)=5.120; P=0.036]. Multivariate analysis identified that patients with a higher expression of miR‑222‑3p retained the statistically significant decrease in overall survival rate compared with patients with a lower expression of miR‑222‑3p (HR=5.636; P=0.030). Furthermore, Kaplan‑Meier survival curves indicated that patients with higher miR‑222‑3p had significantly lower overall survival rates compared with patients with lower miR‑222‑3p (P=0.020). Taken together, these results suggested that miR‑222‑3p serves as an onco‑miR in RCC and may be a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in patients with RCC.

miR-566 functions as an oncogene and a potential biomarker for prognosis in renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUNDnRenal cell carcinoma (RCC), a heterogeneous type of cancer originating from the nephron, occupies approximately 3.9% of new carcinomas, with an increasing incidence in the past two decades. The most common subtype of renal cell carcinoma is clear cell RCC (ccRCC). Though surgery and other treatments are applied to RCC, it has the highest recurrence rate and mortality rate among the genitourinary cancers. As the study progressed, miRNAs are found to be the biomarkers for tumor diagnosis, prognosis and the targets for tumor management.nnnMETHODSnIn present study, RT-qPCR, wound scratch assay, cell proliferation assay, transwell assay and flow cytometry assay were performed to ascertain miR-566 expression level and its proliferation, migration and apoptosis in RCC. Moreover, we analyzed the relation between miR-566 expression and clinicopathological variables or overall survival from the 42 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) renal cancer samples. We further evaluate prognostic values of miR-566 expression.nnnRESULTSnmiR-566 is up-regulated in RCC tissue samples and renal carcinoma cell lines. miR-566 promotes cell proliferation, mobility and inhibits cell apoptosis in 786-O and ACHN cell lines. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis indicates that low expression of miR-566 patients have a remarkable longer overall survival in the univariate and multivariate analysis. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves show that the low expression of miR-566 patients have a remarkable longer overall survival.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe results of the current study demonstrate that oncogene miR-566 is a potential biomarker not only for diagnosis but also for prognosis for RCC.

Oncogenic miR-663a is associated with cellular function and poor prognosis in renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUNDnMicroRNA(miRNA) plays a key regulatory role in various stages of tumorigenesis, including cell growth, cell cycle control, apoptosis avoidance, tissue invasion, and metastasis. Several microRNAs are involved in the development of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and the malignant transformation process. However, the effects of miR-663a on RCC have rarely been reported.nnnMETHODSnIn the present study, the expression of miR-663a was examined in RCC using matched normal kidney tissues and four cell lines (786-O, Caki-1, ACHN and HK-2). MicroRNA mimics were transiently transfected into RCC cells and the effects of over expression on proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis was observed. In addition, the relationship between miR-663a expression in 42 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC) samples and clinical pathological variables and overall survival was investigated. We evaluated the prognostic value of miR-663a expression in ccRCC by experimental results.nnnRESULTSnThe results showed that the expression of miR-663a was up-regulated in RCC cells and tissues and miR-663a was associated with proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of RCC. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that a high expression of miR-663a patients had a significantly shorter overall survival in univariate and multivariate analysis. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that a high expression of miR-663a patients had a significantly shorter overall survival.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThese results indicate that miR-663a can be used as an independent marker for the poor prognosis of ccRCC, and may also play an important role as a tumor oncogene in the occurrence and development of RCC.

Oncogene miR-187-5p is associated with cellular proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis and an increased risk of recurrence in bladder cancer

BACKGROUNDnBladder cancer, the ninth-most-common malignancy worldwide with an estimated 356,000 new cases and 145,000 deaths annually, has a propensity to relapse, requiring lifelong monitoring after diagnosis. 75% patients diagnosed with BC are non-muscle invasive BC and over 50% of them experience recurrences within 6-12 years of initial diagnosis. miRNA are small, noncoding RNA and shown to be oncogenes or anti-oncogenes in bladder cancer, contributing to numerous BC cell processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and apoptosis.nnnMETHODSnRT-qPCR were performed to detect the expression of miR-187-5p in tissues and cell lines, After which, clinicopathological variables and the prognostic value of altered miR-187-5p expression in BC was analyzed with the 48 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded BC samples. Moreover, Cell functional assays (wound healing assay, CCK-8 assay, transwell assay and flow cytometry assay) were performed to explore the relationship between miR-187-5p expression and cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis in BC.nnnRESULTSnUp-regulation of miR-187-5p was observed in BC tissues and BC cell lines. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis demonstrated that the patients with low expression of miR-187-5p experience lower risks of recurrence in the univariate and multivariate analysis. The Kaplan-Meier recurrence-free curves suggested that the patients with low expression of miR-187-5p experience lower risks of recurrence. Up-regulation of miR-187-5p promotes cell proliferation and mobility and inhibits the apoptosis of 5637 and UM-UC-3 cell, while down-regulation of miR-187-5p reverses these effects.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe results of our study demonstrated that oncogene miR-187-5p is associated with cellular proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis and an increased risk of recurrence in bladder cancer.