This study investigated the role of microRNA-95 (miR-95) in gastric cancer (GC) and to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Initially, bioinformatic prediction was used to predict the differentially expressed genes and related miRNAs in GC. miR-95 and DUSP5 expression was altered in GC cell line (MGC803) to evaluate their respective effects on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, cellular processes (cell proliferation, migration, invasion, cell cycle, and apoptosis), cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotype, as well as tumor growth ability. It was further predicted in bioinformatic prediction and verified in GC tissue and cell line experiments that miR-95 was highly expressed in GC. miR-95 negatively regulated DUSP5, which resulted in the MAPK pathway activation. Inhibited miR-95 or overexpressed DUSP5 was observed to inhibit the levels of CSC markers (CD133, CD44, ALDH1, and Lgr5), highlighting the inhibitory role in the CSC phenotype. More important, evidence was obtained demonstrating that miR-95 knockdown or DUSP5 upregulation exerted an inhibitory effect on the EMT process, cellular processes, and tumor growth. Together these results, miR-95 knockdown inhibited GC development via DUSP5-dependent MAPK pathway. K E Y W O R D S cancer stem cell phenotype, DUSP5, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, gastric cancer, MAPK pathway, microRNA-95

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of using amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells (AF-MSCs) in targeted ovarian cancer therapy in vivo. AF-MSCs were isolated from human second trimester AF and a plasmid, enhanced green fluorescent protein-human interleukin-2 (pEGFP-hIL-2) was formed. The plasmid was stably transfected into the AF-MSCs and the cells were intravenously injected into ovarian cancer nude mice models. Following stable transfection of the vector, tumor formation, and the expression and activity of hIL-2 were investigated, and microscopic pathological examinations of the tumor were performed. It was found that AF-MSCs exhibited high motility during migration in vivo, and the vector, pEGFP-hIL-2 can be stably transfected into AF-MSCs. Following stable transfection, this type of stem cell is able to successfully transport the therapeutic gene, IL-2, migrate to the ovarian cancer tumor site to secrete the functional IL-2 and treat the tumor. Thus, AF-MSCs may serve as transporters for therapeutic genes targeting ovarian tumor sites and, therefore, be involved in the treatment of tumors.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer‐related death worldwide, with an estimated 1.2 million deaths each year. Despite advances in lung cancer treatment, 5‐year survival rates are lower than ~15%, which is attributes to diagnosis limitations and current clinical drug resistance. Recently, more evidence has suggested that epigenome dysregulation is associated with the initiation and progress of cancer, and targeting epigenome‐related molecules improves cancer symptoms. Interestingly, some groups reported that the level of methylation of histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3) was increased in lung tumors and participated in abnormal transcriptional regulation. However, a mechanistic analysis is not available. In this report, we found that the SET domain containing 1A (SETD1A), the enzyme for H3K4me3, was elevated in lung cancer tissue compared to normal lung tissue. Knockdown of SETD1A in A549 and H1299 cells led to defects in cell proliferation and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT), as evidenced by inhibited WNT and transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) pathways, compared with the control group. Xenograft assays also revealed a decreased tumor growth and EMT in the SETD1A silenced group compared with the control group. Mechanistic analysis suggested that SETD1A might regulate tumor progression via several critical oncogenes, which exhibited enhanced H3K4me3 levels around transcriptional start sites in lung cancer. This study illustrates the important role of SETD1A in lung cancer and provides a potential drug target for treatment.

The relationship of bladder cancer with the presence of X-ray cross-complementing group 3(XRCC3) genetic polymorphism Thr241Met has been reported with inconsistent results. The objective of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the association between this polymorphism and bladder cancer susceptibility. A comprehensive research was conducted through PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases up to Aug. 20, 2013. Pooled odds ratio and 95 % confidence interval were calculated using a fixed or random effects model. Statistical analysis was performed with Stata 12.0 software. Of the 18 case-control studies selected for this meta-analysis, a total of 5,667 bladder cancer cases and 7,609 controls were included. The combined results based on all studies suggested that XRCC3 Thr241Met was associated with bladder cancer risk under homozygote and recessive models. When stratifying for ethnicity, significant association was found in Caucasians under homozygote and recessive models. This meta-analysis suggests that XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism is a risk factor for bladder cancer risk. However, further well-designed studies are required to confirm our findings.