Characterization and selective incorporation of small non-coding RNAs in non-small cell lung cancer exosomes
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ABSTRACT: Exosomes play important roles in intercellular communication through the delivery of their cargoes, which include proteins, lipids, and RNAs. Increasingly, multiple studies have reported the association between exosomal small non-coding RNAs and cancer, due to their regulatory functions in gene expression. Hence, analysis of the features of small non-coding RNA expression and their incorporation into exosomes is important for cancer research. Here, we performed deep sequencing to investigate the expression of small RNAs in plasma exosomes from lung adenocarcinoma patients, lung squamous cell carcinoma patients, and healthy controls. We found that 5’ YRNA hY4-derived fragments are significantly upregulated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) exosomes, and may serve as a novel class of circulating biomarkers for NSCLC diagnosis. We also identified that the RNY4P7 gene on chromosome 2 may not be a pseudogene, because the corresponding transcript hY4 reverse fragment was detected in exosomes and cells. Further, we demonstrated that a panel of small RNAs, including miR-451a and miR-122-5p, may be selectively sorted into NSCLC exosomes. Overall, our studies have indicated a wider range of biological effects in NSCLC that may be mediated by exosomal small RNAs than previously known.
Project description:Studies have shown that IH may promote the development of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), Exosomes carry specific proteins, lipids, small molecule RNAs (miRNAs) as well as other bioactive substances, which play an important role in tumor growth. The role of exosomal miRNAs in the promotion of tumor development by IH has not been studied.
Project description:Lung cancer is a fatal complication of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with a poor prognosis. Current treatments are insufficient in improving the prognosis of lung cancer patients with comorbid idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF-LC). Senescent fibroblasts play a pivotal role within the tumor microenvironment, influencing tumor progression by secreted exosomes. With evidence that fibroblast senescence is an important mechanism of IPF, we sought to investigate the impact of senescent IPF lung fibroblast-derived exosomes on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Our results show that IPF fibroblasts (diseased human lung fibroblasts, DHLF) express significant senescence markers, promoting NSCLC proliferation, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Specifically, we observed senescent DHLFs secret more exosomes (DHLF-exosomes), which could enhance proliferation and colony-forming ability of cancer cells. Proteomic analysis of DHLF-exosomes identified upregulation of SASP factors, notably MMP1, which activates the surface receptor PAR1. Knocking down MMP1 or using PAR1 inhibitors reduced the tumor-promoting effects of DHLF-exosomes in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, MMP1 acted via activating the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway. In conclusion, our results suggest that exosomal MMP1 derived from senescent IPF fibroblasts promotes NSCLC proliferation and colony formation by targeting PAR1 and activating the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway. These findings provide a novel therapeutic approach for patients with IPF-LC.
Project description:Exosomes are 30-100 nm sized membrane vesicles released by cells into extracellular space and mediate the intercellular communication via transfer of proteins and RNAs. To better understand the function of these microvesicles in lung carcinogenesis, we employed a Triple SILAC quantitative proteomic strategy to examine the differential protein abundance between exosomes derived from an immortalized normal bronchial epithelial cell line and two non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines harboring distinct activating mutations in the cell signaling molecules Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) or epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). We were able to quantify 727 exosomal proteins derived from the three cell lines. Proteins associated with signal transduction are enriched in NSCLC exosomes which are functionally active in regulating cell proliferation. The study is the first to investigate protein abundance differences in exosomes derived from NSCLC cells and their normal counterparts, and reveals the role of exosomes in NSCLC cancer progression, which may have clinical implications in biomarker development for patients with NSCLC.
Project description:Exosomes are 30-100 nm sized membrane vesicles released by cells into extracellular space and mediate the intercellular communication via transfer of proteins and RNAs. To better understand the function of these microvesicles in lung carcinogenesis, we employed a Triple SILAC quantitative proteomic strategy to examine the differential protein abundance between exosomes derived from an immortalized normal bronchial epithelial cell line and two non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines harboring distinct activating mutations in the cell signaling molecules Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) or epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). We were able to quantify 727 exosomal proteins derived from the three cell lines. Proteins associated with signal transduction are enriched in NSCLC exosomes which are functionally active in regulating cell proliferation. The study is the first to investigate protein abundance differences in exosomes derived from NSCLC cells and their normal counterparts, and reveals the role of exosomes in NSCLC cancer progression, which may have clinical implications in biomarker development for patients with NSCLC.
Project description:One unmet challenge in current lung cancer diagnosis is to accurately differentiate lung cancer patients from those with other lung diseases with similar clinical symptoms and radiological features. Previous studies have reported cases of misdiagnosis for patients with lung cancer mimicking pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) or for TB patients with multiple lung nodules mimicking lung cancer progression, which is concerning for clinical practice in TB-endemic countries/regions. Here, we develop a molecular signature composed of non-canonical small non-coding RNAs in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), including tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), rRNA-derived small RNAs (rsRNAs), and YRNA-derived small RNAs (ysRNAs). This signature consists of i) the tsRNAs derived from tRNA-Ala, tRNA-Asn, tRNA-Leu, tRNA-Lys, and tRNA-Tyr that are upregulated in the lung cancer patients relative to the healthy controls and patients with pulmonary TB, ii) the rsRNAs derived from rRNA-5S that are upregulated in the lung cancer patients but downregulated in TB patients relative to the controls, and iii) the ysRNAs originating from YRNA-RNY1 that are downregulated in the lung cancer patients but upregulated in the TB patients compared with the controls. This diagnostic signature discriminates between healthy controls, lung cancer patients, and pulmonary TB subjects with high accuracy in both the discovery and validation cohorts. We conclude that the PBMC tsRNAs, rsRNAs, and ysRNAs are informative for both screening for and discriminating between lung cancer and pulmonary TB.
Project description:One unmet challenge in current lung cancer diagnosis is to accurately differentiate lung cancer patients from those with other lung diseases with similar clinical symptoms and radiological features. Previous studies have reported cases of misdiagnosis for patients with lung cancer mimicking pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) or for TB patients with multiple lung nodules mimicking lung cancer progression, which is concerning for clinical practice in TB-endemic countries/regions. Here, we develop a molecular signature composed of non-canonical small non-coding RNAs in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), including tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), rRNA-derived small RNAs (rsRNAs), and YRNA-derived small RNAs (ysRNAs). This signature consists of i) the tsRNAs derived from tRNA-Ala, tRNA-Asn, tRNA-Leu, tRNA-Lys, and tRNA-Tyr that are upregulated in the lung cancer patients relative to the healthy controls and patients with pulmonary TB, ii) the rsRNAs derived from rRNA-5S that are upregulated in the lung cancer patients but downregulated in TB patients relative to the controls, and iii) the ysRNAs originating from YRNA-RNY1 that are downregulated in the lung cancer patients but upregulated in the TB patients compared with the controls. This diagnostic signature discriminates between healthy controls, lung cancer patients, and pulmonary TB subjects with high accuracy in both the discovery and validation cohorts. We conclude that the PBMC tsRNAs, rsRNAs, and ysRNAs are informative for both screening for and discriminating between lung cancer and pulmonary TB.
Project description:Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Patients with early stage lung cancer have the best prognosis with surgical removal of the tumor, but the disease is often asymptomatic until advanced disease develops, and there are no effective blood-based screening methods for early detection of lung cancer in at-risk populations. We have explored the lipid profiles of blood plasma exosomes using ultra high-resolution Fourier transform mass spectrometry (UHR-FTMS) for early detection of the prevalent non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). Exosomes are nanovehicles released by various cells and tumor tissues to elicit important biofunctions such as immune modulation and tumor development. Plasma exosomal lipid profiles were acquired from 39 normal and 91 NSCLC subjects (44 early stage and 47 late stage). We have applied two multivariate statistical methods, Random Forest (RF) and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) to classify the data. For the RF method, the Gini importance of the assigned lipids was calculated to select 16 lipids with top importance. Using the LASSO method, 7 features were selected based on a grouped LASSO penalty. The Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve for early and late stage cancer versus normal subjects using the selected lipid features was 0.85 and 0.88 for RF and 0.79 and 0.77 for LASSO, respectively. These results show the value of RF and LASSO for metabolomics data-based biomarker development, which provide robust an independent classifiers with sparse data sets. Application of LASSO and Random Forests identifies lipid features that successfully distinguish early stage lung cancer patient from healthy individuals.
Project description:Angiogenesis is regarded as a hallmark in cancer development, and anti-angiogenic treatment is presently used in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. MicroRNAs (miRs) are small non-coding, endogenous, single stranded RNAs that regulate gene expression. As miRs are relatively stabile and measurable in both tissue and serum, they are potential prognostic and predictive markers. In this study we aimed to identify significant altered miRs related to angiogenesis in NSCLC
Project description:Angiogenesis is regarded as a hallmark in cancer development, and anti-angiogenic treatment is presently used in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. MicroRNAs (miRs) are small non-coding, endogenous, single stranded RNAs that regulate gene expression. As miRs are relatively stabile and measurable in both tissue and serum, they are potential prognostic and predictive markers. In this study we aimed to identify significant altered miRs related to angiogenesis in NSCLC From a large cohort of 335 NSCLC patients, paraffin-embedded samples from 10 patients with a short disease specific survival (DSS), 10 with a long DSS and 10 normal controls were analyzed.
Project description:Histological transformation from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the major resistance mechanism of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). In our analysis of 59 regions of interest from EGFR-mutant NSCLC or combined SCLC/NSCLC tumors, we compared the transcriptomic profiles before and after transformation.