scholarly journals Construction of an miRNA-Regulated Pathway Network Reveals Candidate Biomarkers for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Shao

We aimed to identify risk pathways for postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) via establishing an microRNAs- (miRNA-) regulated pathway network (MRPN). Firstly, we identified differential pathways through calculating gene- and pathway-level statistics based on the accumulated normal samples using the individual pathway aberrance score (iPAS). Significant pathways based on differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using DAVID were extracted, followed by identifying the common pathways between iPAS and DAVID methods. Next, miRNAs prediction was implemented via calculating TargetScore values with precomputed input (log fold change (FC), TargetScan context score (TSCS), and probabilities of conserved targeting (PCT)). An MRPN construction was constructed using the common genes in the common pathways and the predicted miRNAs. Using false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05, 279 differential pathways were identified. Using the criteria of FDR < 0.05 and log⁡FC≥2, 39 DEGs were retrieved, and these DEGs were enriched in 64 significant pathways identified by DAVID. Overall, 27 pathways were the common ones between two methods. Importantly, MAPK signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway were the first and second significantly enriched ones, respectively. These 27 common pathways separated PMOP from controls with the accuracy of 0.912. MAPK signaling pathway and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway might play crucial roles in PMOP.

2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Feng Liang ◽  
Qingfeng Li ◽  
Hong Sun ◽  
Fei Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hepatoblastoma (HB) is identified to be the most common liver malignancy which occurs in children. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in numerous biological processes and diseases, including HB. LncRNA MIR205 host gene (MIR205HG) has been investigated in multiple cancers, however, its role in HB remains to be elucidated. Methods MIR205HG expression was analyzed by RT-qPCR. EdU, colony formation and transwell assays were implemented to measure the biological function of MIR205HG on the progression of HB. Mechanism assays were carried out to probe into the underlying mechanism of MIR205HG in HB cells. Results MIR205HG was significantly overexpressed in HB. Moreover, MIR205HG inhibition suppressed the proliferative, migratory and invasive capacities of HB cells. Furthermore, MIR205HG competitively bound to microRNA-514a-5p (miR-514a-5p) and targeted mitogen-activated protein kinase 9 (MAPK9) to stimulate mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Besides, MIR205HG also served as a sponge for microRNA-205-5p (miR-205-5p) to activate the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Conclusion MIR205HG drives the progression of HB which might provide an efficient marker and new therapeutic target for HB.


Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 3238-3238
Author(s):  
Xiao Li ◽  
Xu Feng ◽  
Chunkang Chang ◽  
Qi He ◽  
Wu Lingyun

Abstract Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are considered to play a key role in the pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). However, the effect of miRNA and targeted mRNA on signal transduction is not fully understood in MDS. Objective The objective of this study is to identify the miRNAs-regulated pathways. Methods Affymetrix GeneChip microRNA and PrimeView Array were used to analyze miRNAs and gene expression profile of CD34+ cells in 12 MDS patients and 6 healthy controls. Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of the coordinate expression of miRNAs and mRNAs including Difference, Go, Pathway, Pathway-network, miRNA-Gene-Network and miRNA-Go-Network analysis was performed to identify the miRNAs-regulated networks. Results 1. 34 differentially expressed miRNAs (5 up- and 29 down-regulated miRNAs) and 1783 mRNAs (405 up- and 1378 down-regulated mRNAs) in CD34+ cells from MDS and Healthy controls were identified by miRNA and mRNA microarray, respectively (Fig.1). 2. 25 dysregulated miRNAs and 234 targeted mRNAs were identified by a combination of Pearson's correlation analysis and prediction by TargetScan; 394 target relationship of miRNAs was established (Fig.2). 3. Go analysis revealed that these miRNA-mRNAs pairs were involved in signal transduction, apoptotic process, DNA-dependent transcription regulation, protein phosphophoration, etc. Pathway analysis showed that MAPK, JAK/STAT and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways might be regulated by these miRNA-mRNAs pairs (Fig.3). 4. The pathway-network analysis revealed that MAPK signaling pathway, Jak-Stat signaling pathway and apoptosis signaling pathway (displayed by red cycle) located in the downstream of signal networks (Fig. 3E). Dysregulation of These pathways may be more meaningful for explaining the pathogenesis of MDS. 5. Through a combination of Pathway, miRNA-Gene-Network and miRNA-Go- Network analysis, 29 miRNA-mRNA-regulated pathways were identified such as miR-148a/TEK/PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, miR-195/BDNF/MAPK signaling pathway, miR-195/DLL1/Notch signaling pathway, miR-145/CCND2/ JAK-STAT signaling pathway, etc. (Table 1). Conclusion Alteration expression of several miRNAs and targeted mRNAs might have an important impact on cancer-related cellular pathways including MAPK, PI3K/Akt, JAK/STAT, etc. The role of these miRNAs-mediated pathways in pathogenesis of MDS merit further investigation. Fig. 1 Affymetrix mcroRNA and mRNA microarray in MDS Fig. 1. Affymetrix mcroRNA and mRNA microarray in MDS Fig. 2 Significant miRNA-mRNA pairs identified through a integration of mcroRNA-mRNA microarray Fig. 2. Significant miRNA-mRNA pairs identified through a integration of mcroRNA-mRNA microarray Table 1. Parts of dysregulated miRNAs, genes and targeted pathway in MDS MicroRNA Style Gene_synbol Pathway miR-148a Down TEK PI3K-Akt signaling pathway ITGA9 PI3K-Akt signaling pathway KIT PI3K-Akt signaling pathway HMGA2 Transcriptional misregulation in cancer miR-145 Down HHEX Transcriptional misregulation in cancer MEIS1 Transcriptional misregulation in cancer miR-200c Down EFNA1 PI3K-Akt signaling pathway KLF3 Transcriptional misregulation in cancer miR-195 Up BDNF MAPK signaling pathway CDC25B MAPK signaling pathway DLL1 Notch signaling pathway MRAS MAPK signaling pathway miR-17 Up CAMK2D Calcium signaling pathway miR-19a Up MAML1 Notch signaling pathway SLC8A1 Calcium signaling pathway THBS1 Proteoglycans in cancer TNF MAPK signaling pathway TNFRSF1B Adipocytokine signaling pathway ACSL1 Adipocytokine signaling pathway EDNRB Calcium signaling pathway miR-19b Up CALM1 Calcium signaling pathway TNF Proteoglycans in cancer Fig. 3 Go and pathway analysis Fig. 3. Go and pathway analysis Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Bao ◽  
Zhengyang Zhu ◽  
Xizhao Zhang ◽  
Lin Huang ◽  
Li Xu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background:To identity key miRNAs as signatures for recurrent aphthous stomatitis(RAS)with Excess-heat or Yin-deficiency bymiRNA microarrays. Method: Serum samples were collected from patients meeting the RAS diagnostic criteria of excess-heat oryin-deficiencysyndrome and healthy individuals. CoremicroRNAs (miRNAs) were then identified under miRNA microarray analyses. Target prediction and bioinformatic analyses were carried out andgene-pathway-networks werevisualized to better understand the relationship between differentgenes and pathways.Result:(1) 90 individuals meeting the inclusion criteria were collected in this study, of which 30 were normal control, 30 were patients of excess-heat syndrome and the rest were patients ofyin-deficiency syndrome. Among them, 9 miRNAs werescreened out in excess-heat syndrome group, with 1 upregulated and 8 downregulated. And four randommiRNAs(hsa-miR-20b-5p, hsa-miR-122-5p, hsa-miR-483-5p and hsa-miR-3197) were validatedby real-time PCR method. 14 miRNAs werescreened out in yin-deficiency syndrome group(7 upregulated and 7 downregulated). And hsa-miR-17-5p, hsa-miR-106-5p and hsa-miR-20b-5p were validated. (2)A total of 4776 target genes were identified for the validated 9 miRNAs in excess-heat syndrome group.These targets were enriched inGO categories including nervous system development, homophilic cell adhesion via plasma membrane adhesion molecules, and calcium ion binding and KEGG pathway such as proteoglycans in cancer, P13K-AKT signaling pathway and Calcium signaling pathway. 10172 target genes were identified for the validated 14 miRNAs in yin-deficiency syndrome group. The enrichedGO categories included protein binding, positive regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter and membrane andenrichedKEGG pathway included pathways in cancer, MAPK signaling pathway and Ras signaling pathway.Conclusion:Hsa-miR-20b-5p in patients with RAS could act as the novel target for syndromeclassification of the disease. It is upregulated in RAS patients with excess-heat syndrome while downregulated in patients with yin-deficiency syndrome. The PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway and related target genes may provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of RAS with excess-heat syndrome or yin-deficiency syndrome, respectively.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Ying Wei ◽  
Sichen Ren ◽  
Ruilin Wang ◽  
Manyi Jing ◽  
Honghong Liu ◽  
...  

Background. Zuojin Pill (ZJP), a classic prescription, has the potential to prevent ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the active components and mechanisms of ZJP are still arcane. This study aimed to use a network pharmacology approach to find the bioactive compounds and potential action mechanisms of ZJP in the treatment of UC. Methods. Firstly, the components and putative targets of ZJP were collected based on herbal medicine target databases, and a network containing the interaction between the targets of ZJP and the potential therapeutic targets of UC was established. Then, topological parameters were calculated to identify the key targets in the network and, in turn, to import them into the David database to perform path enrichment analysis. Results. 14 potential therapeutic components of ZJP and 26 key targets were obtained. These targets were related to signal transduction, MAPK cascade, inflammatory response, immune response, and the apoptotic process of UC. Moreover, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and Prolactin signaling pathway were predicted to participate in ZJP treating UC. Among them, 14 active components of ZJP directly regulate these pathways. Conclusion. ZJP could alleviate UC through the predicted components and mechanisms. The 14 predicted active components of ZJP may mainly play a therapeutic role for UC through synergistic regulation of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Wei ◽  
Sichen Ren ◽  
Ruilin Wang ◽  
Manyi Jing ◽  
Honghong Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Zuojin Pill (ZJP), a classic prescription, has the potential to prevent ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the active component and mechanism of ZJP is still arcane. Objective: This study aims to use a network pharmacology approach to find the bioactive compounds and potential action mechanisms of ZJP in the treatment of UC.Methods: Firstly, the components and putative targets of ZJP were collected based on the herbal medicine target database, and a network containing the interaction between the putative targets of ZJP and the potential therapeutic targets of UC was established. Then topological parameters were calculated to identify the key targets in the network and the key targets were imported into David database to perform path enrichment analysis.Results: 7 potential therapeutic components of ZJP and 26 key targets were obtained. These targets were related to signal transduction, response to drug, cellular response to lipopolysaccharide, MAPK cascade, inflammatory response, immune response, transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter, apoptotic process, regulation of sequence-specific DNA binding transcription factor activity and lipopolysaccharide-mediated signaling pathway. Moreover, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway were predicted to participate in the treatment of UC, which directly regulated by 7 active components of ZJP. Quercetin and isorhamnetin have great development value in the treatment of UC. Moupinamide and palmidin A are of great value for exploration because of their safety and innovation.Conclusion: ZJP mainly were directly involved in UC through inflammation and immune regulation by PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Fernandez-Galán ◽  
Silvia Sandalinas ◽  
Blai Morales-Romero ◽  
Laura Macias ◽  
Montse Pauta ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTIntroductionChronic liver disease is associated with high mortality. Liver transplantation is the definitive treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease, improving their survival and quality of life. However, chronic rejection of the graft and the imbalance between the demand and the availability of organs limit its applicability. Therefore, finding therapeutic and/or diagnostic alternatives for these patients is a priority. In this context, preclinical studies in rodents have demonstrated that Akt plays a key role in liver dysfunction. Even with all this evidence, the activation status of Akt and its downstream targets in the liver of patients with chronic hepatopathy is still unknown. Hence, the present study aims to determine the activation status of the molecules involved in the Akt signaling pathway in livers of cirrhotic patients.Materials and MethodsIn this study, 36 liver tissue samples from a cohort of 27 cirrhotic patients and 9 patients without cirrhosis were included. A total of 10 proteins involved in Akt/mTOR pathway (GSK3β, IGF1R, IRS1, mTOR, p70S6K, IR, PTEN, GSK3α, TSC2, and RPS6) were analyzed using a multiplex immunoassay based on Luminex® technology.ResultsSignificant differences were found in several Akt/mTOR target proteins between the groups of cirrhotic patients vs. non-cirrhotic: FoxO1 (9.5 vs. 4.4; p<0.01), p-Akt (2.1 vs. 1.0; p<0.01), PTEN (3.061 vs. 1.877; p<0.05) and p70S6K (196.3 vs. 270.5; p<0.001). FoxO1 showed the best correlation with biochemical markers of liver injury aspartate aminotransferase and serum alanine aminotransferase (ASAT: r=0.51, p<0.05; ALAT: r=0.49, p<0.05). Moreover, the individual influence of FoxO1 on these parameters was confirmed by multiple regression analysis. It was the only enzyme in the Akt signaling pathway identified as a positive independent predictor of increased ASAT and ALAT levels.ConclusionFoxO1 is overexpressed in the liver of cirrhotic patients after partial hepatectomy. FoxO1 levels are also associated with the degree of liver injury, showing a positive correlation with current biomarkers used in clinical practice to detect liver injury.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Bao ◽  
Zhengyang Zhu ◽  
Xizhao Zhang ◽  
Lin Huang ◽  
Li Xu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background. MiRNAs has become an important regulator in many processes. The purpose of our study is to screen the key serum miRNAs of different syndrome of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), to find new biomarkers for the diagnosis of RAS and to further explore their role in the pathogenesis of RAS.Method. Serum samples were collected from patients meeting the RAS diagnostic criteria of excess-heat or yin-deficiency syndrome and healthy individuals. Core miRNAs were then identified under miRNA microarray analyses. Target prediction and bioinformatic analyses were carried out and gene-pathway-networks were visualized to better understand the relationship between different genes and pathways.Result. (1) 90 individuals meeting the inclusion criteria were collected in this study, of which 30 were normal control, 30 were patients of excess-heat syndrome and the rest were patients of yin-deficiency syndrome. Among them, 9 miRNAs were screened out in excess-heat syndrome group, with 1 upregulated and 8 downregulated. And four random miRNAs (hsa-miR-20b-5p, hsa-miR-122-5p, hsa-miR-483-5p and hsa-miR-3197) were validated by real-time PCR method. 14 miRNAs were screened out in yin-deficiency syndrome group (7 upregulated and 7 downregulated). And hsa-miR-17-5p, hsa-miR-106-5p and hsa-miR-20b-5p were validated. (2) A total of 4776 target genes were identified for the validated 9 miRNAs in excess-heat syndrome group. These targets were enriched in GO categories including nervous system development, homophilic cell adhesion via plasma membrane adhesion molecules, and calcium ion binding and KEGG pathway such as proteoglycans in cancer, P13K-AKT signaling pathway and Calcium signaling pathway. 10172 target genes were identified for the validated 14 miRNAs in yin-deficiency syndrome group. The enriched GO categories included protein binding, positive regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter and membrane and enriched KEGG pathway included pathways in cancer, MAPK signaling pathway and Ras signaling pathway .Conclusion. Hsa-miR-20b-5p in patients with RAS could act as the novel biomarker for clinical diagnosis of the disease. It is upregulated in RAS patients of excess-heat syndrome while downregulated in patients of yin-deficiency syndrome. The PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway and related target genes may provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of excess-heat syndrome and yin-deficiency syndrome RAS, respectively.


Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santosh Kumar Singh ◽  
Tejumola Apata ◽  
Jennifer B. Gordetsky ◽  
Rajesh Singh

Toxicity and the development of resistance by cancer cells are impediments for docetaxel (DTX), a primary drug for treating prostate cancer (PCa). Since the combination of DTX with natural compounds can increase its effectiveness by reducing its toxic concentrations, we evaluated a combination of thymoquinone (TQ) with DTX and determined its cytotoxicity against PCa cells (DU145 and C4-2B). This combination, in a concentration-dependent manner, resulted in synergistic cytotoxicity and apoptosis in comparison to either DTX or TQ alone. In addition, inhibition of cell survival pathways by PI3K/AKT inhibitors conferred sensitivity of DU145 and C4-2B cells to the combination as compared to the individual drugs. Moreover, the combined drugs (DTX+TQ) with inhibitors of PI3K/AKT increased the expression of pro-apoptotic markers (BAX and BID) along with caspase-3, PARP and decreased expression of the anti-apoptotic marker, BCL-XL. These data show that, for PCa cells, the cytotoxic effect of the DTX and TQ combination correlates with a block of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. These findings indicate that the combination of DTX and TQ, by blocking of the PI3K/AKT pathway, will improve the survival rate and quality of life of PCa patients.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shi-wei Ren ◽  
Yang Song ◽  
Qing-run Zhu ◽  
Min-gang He ◽  
Jie Qiu ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundPostmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) is a relatively common disease characterized by low bone mass and microstructural changes of trabecular bone. The reduced bone strength is caused a variety of complications, including fragility fracture and sarcopenia.MethodsWe used CCK-8 and EdU assays to evaluate cell proliferation rates. The osteogenesis effect was detected using ALP staining, alizarin red staining, and q-PCR. In vivo, the effects of exosomes derived from HUC-MSCs were evaluated using HE staining, IHC staining and Masson staining. In addition, we explored the mechanism of exosomes and found that the AKT signaling pathway played an important role in osteogenesis and cell proliferation.ResultsThis paper mainly explored the function of exosomes derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUC-MSCs) and provided a new strategy for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. ConclusionsIn conclusion, exogenous administration of exosomes can contribute to the treatment postmenopausal osteoporosis to a certain extent.


Author(s):  
Petr Fojtík ◽  
Deborah Beckerová ◽  
Katerina Holomková ◽  
Martin Šenfluk ◽  
Vladimir Rotrekl

Mild hypoxia (5% O2) as well as FGFR1-induced activation of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) and MAPK signaling pathways markedly support pluripotency in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). This study demonstrates that the pluripotency-promoting PI3K/AKT signaling pathway is surprisingly attenuated in mild hypoxia compared to the 21% O2 environment. Hypoxia is known to be associated with lower levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are recognized as intracellular second messengers capable of upregulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Our data denote that ROS downregulation results in pluripotency upregulation and PI3K/AKT attenuation in a hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1)-dependent manner in hPSCs. Using specific MAPK inhibitors, we show that the MAPK pathway also downregulates ROS and therefore attenuates the PI3K/AKT signaling—this represents a novel interaction between these signaling pathways. This inhibition of ROS initiated by MEK1/2–ERK1/2 may serve as a negative feedback loop from the MAPK pathway toward FGFR1 and PI3K/AKT activation. We further describe the molecular mechanism resulting in PI3K/AKT upregulation in hPSCs—ROS inhibit the PI3K's primary antagonist PTEN and upregulate FGFR1 phosphorylation. These novel regulatory circuits utilizing ROS as second messengers may contribute to the development of enhanced cultivation and differentiation protocols for hPSCs. Since the PI3K/AKT pathway often undergoes an oncogenic transformation, our data could also provide new insights into the regulation of cancer stem cell signaling.


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