Abstract 2383: Mir-7974: An oncogenic miRNA that perpetuates gastric cancer
Authors: Sexton Rachel E. , Al-Hallak Mohammad Najeeb , Al-Share Bayan , Li Yiwei , Aboukameel Amro , Landesman Yosef , Kashyap Trinayan , Kim Steve , Mohammad Ramzi M. , Philip Philip A. , Azmi Asfar S. 
Published: July 2021

The global incidence of gastric cancer exceeds 1 million people per year and has a 5-year survival rate of 31%. Current chemotherapies are not effective because of genetic and epigenetic heterogeneity and late stage detection. Previously, we showed that exportin 1 (XPO1) is a therapeutic target in gastric cancer, as it facilitates the nuclear export of various cancer related tumor suppressor proteins (TSPs) through direct interaction with their nuclear export sequences (NES). XPO1 is upregulated in a variety of tumors including gastric cancer, leading to increased cytoplasmic localization of TSPs supporting malignant transformation and cancer cell proliferation, Knockdown of XPO1 leads to anti-tumor effects and pharmacologic targeting of XPO1 is achievable with selective inhibitors of nuclear export (SINE) compounds. In 2019 and 2020, the first generation XPO1 inhibitor KPT-330 was FDA approved for the use in penta-refractory multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Besides protein, mRNA and non-coding RNAs are also transported across the nuclear membrane. Non-coding RNA transport is generally attributed to another nuclear export protein, exportin 5 (XPO5), which plays a critical role in microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis. Nevertheless, there is emerging evidence supporting the role of XPO1 in non-coding RNA transport. In order to elucidate the role of XPO1 in non-coding RNA biology, we performed small RNA sequencing on gastric cancer cell lines treated with the XPO1 inhibitor selinexor. Our results revealed statistically significant changes in miR-7974 and miR-129-1-3p. These two miRs are recognized to influence protein modifications and cell survival. Administration of a miR-7974 mimic and a miR-129-1-3p inhibitor reduced proliferation of gastric cancer cells. Next, we evaluated the miR target genes of interest. At the mRNA level, we found upregulation of RasGEF Domain Family Member 1a (RASGEF1A), downregulation of DNA damage-regulated autophagy modulator 1 (DRAM1), downregulation of TIMP2 and downregulation of Cyclin G2 protein encoding gene CCNG2. Western Blots confirmed inhibition of AKT, RAS and Wnt signaling. Our results also showed that miR-7974 overexpression correlated with cellular XPO1 levels through the enhancement of XPO1 and its cargoes RCC1 and RANBP2. Finally inhibition of XPO1 by SINE compounds reversed the observed oncogenic phenotypes caused by these microRNAs. Our results unveil a novel interaction network between XPO1 and small non-coding RNAs and show that XPO1 induced small-noncoding microRNAs influence gastric cancer proliferation, and can be reversed by SINE compounds. This implies that modulation of microRNAs might be explored as a biomarker for XPO1 inhibitor therapy and warrants further investigation.

Citation Format: Rachel E. Sexton, Mohammad Najeeb Al-Hallak, Bayan Al-Share, Yiwei Li, Amro Aboukameel, Yosef Landesman, Trinayan Kashyap, Steve Kim, Ramzi M. Mohammad, Philip A. Philip, Asfar S. Azmi. Mir-7974: An oncogenic miRNA that perpetuates gastric cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 2383.