# Tyrosine–Peptide Analog Modulates Extracellular Vesicles miRNAs Cargo from Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal and Cancer Cells to Drive Immunoregeneration and Tumor Suppression

**Authors:** Michelle B. R. G. Ley, Karina Galoian, Daniel A. Martinez, Arianna Patel, Reanna Thomas, Tressa R. Parker, Lee Friedman, Allie L. Andryski, Francis J. Hornicek, Thomas M. Best, Dimitrios Kouroupis

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/biom16020243 · Biomolecules · 2026-02-03

## TL;DR

A synthetic tyrosine peptide analog alters miRNA content in extracellular vesicles from stem and cancer cells, potentially boosting immune responses and suppressing tumor growth.

## Contribution

The study reveals how a tyrosine peptide analog modulates EV miRNA cargo in a cell-type-specific manner to influence tumor and immune signaling.

## Key findings

- TPA treatment significantly altered miRNA profiles in EVs from both MSCs and sarcoma cells.
- TPA reduced tumor-associated miRNAs like miR-1246 and enriched immune and cancer-related pathways.
- VEGFA was identified as a key predicted target of EV miRNA–gene interactions.

## Abstract

Soft tissue sarcoma remains challenging to treat due to its heterogeneity, stemness-associated survival programs, and resistance to conventional therapies. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) mediate tumor–stroma communication, yet how stemness-targeted therapies reshape EVs-associated miRNAs networks remains unclear. This study profiled EVs miRNAs cargo from infrapatellar fat pad mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (IFP-MSCs) and sarcoma cells (SCs) under basal conditions and following treatment with a synthetic tyrosine peptide analog (TPA). EVs were isolated, characterized, and subjected to miRNAs profiling and pathway enrichment analyses. TPA induced ≥2-fold regulation of 182 miRNAs, including 49 upregulated and 24 downregulated in IFP-MSC-EVs and 86 upregulated and 23 downregulated in SC-EVs. A conserved core of 149 miRNAs (67.1%) was shared across all EVs groups. Abundant species included miR-3960 and miR-21-5p, while TPA reduced tumor-associated miRNAs such as miR-1246 (~10-fold decrease in IFP-MSC-EVs). Pathway enrichment revealed consistent targeting of cancer, MAPK, Wnt, TGF-β, and immune signaling pathways, with modest increases in mapped gene coverage following TPA treatment. In silico analysis identified distinct EVs miRNA–gene interaction profiles, with VEGFA emerging as a recurrent predicted target. These results demonstrate that stemness-targeted modulation quantitatively reprograms EVs miRNA cargo in a cell-type-dependent manner, reshaping vesicle-mediated signaling networks in sarcoma.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** tyrosine (PubChem CID 1153)
- **Diseases:** soft tissue sarcoma (MONDO:0018078)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** PRRT2 (proline rich transmembrane protein 2) [NCBI Gene 112476] {aka BFIC2, BFIS2, DSPB3, DYT10, EKD1, FICCA}, MRC1 (mannose receptor C-type 1) [NCBI Gene 4360] {aka CD206, CLEC13D, CLEC13DL, MMR, MRC1L1, bA541I19.1}, NANOG (Nanog homeobox) [NCBI Gene 79923], MIR23A (microRNA 23a) [NCBI Gene 407010] {aka MIRN23A, hsa-mir-23a, miRNA23A, mir-23a}, TGFB1 (transforming growth factor beta 1) [NCBI Gene 7040] {aka CAEND1, CED, DPD1, IBDIMDE, LAP, TGF-beta1}, FGF2 (fibroblast growth factor 2) [NCBI Gene 2247] {aka BFGF, FGF-2, FGFB, HBGF-2}, MTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase) [NCBI Gene 2475] {aka FRAP, FRAP1, FRAP2, RAFT1, RAPT1, SKS}, MYLIP (myosin regulatory light chain interacting protein) [NCBI Gene 29116] {aka IDOL, MIR}, MIR20A (microRNA 20a) [NCBI Gene 406982] {aka C13orf25, MIR20, MIRH1, MIRHG1, MIRN20, MIRN20A}, MIR19A (microRNA 19a) [NCBI Gene 406979] {aka C13orf25, MIRH1, MIRHG1, MIRN19A, hsa-mir-19a, miR-19a}, MIR26A1 (microRNA 26a-1) [NCBI Gene 407015] {aka MIR26A, MIRN26A1, mir-26a-1}, ALDH1A1 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member A1) [NCBI Gene 216] {aka ALDC, ALDH-E1, ALDH1, ALDH11, HEL-9, HEL-S-53e}, MIR7704 (microRNA 7704) [NCBI Gene 102465802] {aka hsa-mir-7704}, MIR30C1 (microRNA 30c-1) [NCBI Gene 407031] {aka MIRN30C1, mir-30c-1}, MIR574 (microRNA 574) [NCBI Gene 693159] {aka MIR574-3p, MIRN574, hsa-mir-574, mir-574}, MIR9-3 (microRNA 9-3) [NCBI Gene 407051] {aka MIRN9-3, hsa-mir-9-3, miRNA9-3, mir-9-3}, MIR4306 (microRNA 4306) [NCBI Gene 100422861] {aka mir-4306}, MIR149 (microRNA 149) [NCBI Gene 406941] {aka MIRN149, mir-149}, MIR27A (microRNA 27a) [NCBI Gene 407018] {aka MIR27, MIRN27A, mir-27a}, MIR4488 (microRNA 4488) [NCBI Gene 100616470] {aka mir-4488}, MIR17 (microRNA 17) [NCBI Gene 406952] {aka MIR17-5p, MIR91, MIRN17, MIRN91, hsa-mir-17, miR-17}, PLAT (plasminogen activator, tissue type) [NCBI Gene 5327] {aka T-PA, TPA}, MIR6753 (microRNA 6753) [NCBI Gene 102465451] {aka hsa-mir-6753}, MIR1246 (microRNA 1246) [NCBI Gene 100302142] {aka MIRN1246, hsa-mir-1246}, MIR215 (microRNA 215) [NCBI Gene 406997] {aka MIRN215, miRNA215, mir-215}, MIR3195 (microRNA 3195) [NCBI Gene 100422838], MIR15B (microRNA 15b) [NCBI Gene 406949] {aka MIRN15B, hsa-mir-15b, miR-15b}, EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) [NCBI Gene 1956] {aka ERBB, ERBB1, ERRP, HER1, NISBD2, NNCIS}, MIR4505 (microRNA 4505) [NCBI Gene 100616158] {aka mir-4505}, MIR150 (microRNA 150) [NCBI Gene 406942] {aka MIRN150, miRNA150, mir-150}, MIR4767 (microRNA 4767) [NCBI Gene 100616467] {aka mir-4767}, MIR4454 (microRNA 4454) [NCBI Gene 100616234], CD163 (CD163 molecule) [NCBI Gene 9332] {aka M130, MM130, SCARI1}, NGF (nerve growth factor) [NCBI Gene 4803] {aka Beta-NGF, HSAN5, NGFB}, MIR451A (microRNA 451a) [NCBI Gene 574411] {aka MIR451, MIRN451, hsa-mir-451, hsa-mir-451a, mir-451a}, TSG101 (tumor susceptibility 101) [NCBI Gene 7251] {aka TSG10, VPS23}, MIR1468 (microRNA 1468) [NCBI Gene 100302115] {aka MIRN1468, hsa-mir-1468, mir-1468}, CD9 (CD9 molecule) [NCBI Gene 928] {aka BTCC-1, DRAP-27, MIC3, MRP-1, TSPAN-29, TSPAN29}, IL10 (interleukin 10) [NCBI Gene 3586] {aka CSIF, GVHDS, IL-10, IL10A, TGIF}, CD63 (CD63 molecule) [NCBI Gene 967] {aka AD1, HOP-26, ME491, MLA1, OMA81H, Pltgp40}, MIR3960 (microRNA 3960) [NCBI Gene 100616250], MIR944 (microRNA 944) [NCBI Gene 100126340] {aka MIRN944, hsa-mir-944, mir-944}, MIR1307 (microRNA 1307) [NCBI Gene 100302174] {aka MIRN1307, hsa-mir-1307, mir-1307}, VEGFA (vascular endothelial growth factor A) [NCBI Gene 7422] {aka L-VEGF, MVCD1, VEGF, VPF}, EGF (epidermal growth factor) [NCBI Gene 1950] {aka HOMG4, URG}, MIR4257 (microRNA 4257) [NCBI Gene 100422997], FGF2 (fibroblast growth factor 2) [NCBI Gene 403857] {aka BFGF}, BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) [NCBI Gene 627] {aka ANON2, BULN2}, MIR935 (microRNA 935) [NCBI Gene 100126325] {aka MIRN935, hsa-mir-935, mir-935}, SNORD48 (small nucleolar RNA, C/D box 48) [NCBI Gene 26801] {aka RNU48, U48}, MIR429 (microRNA 429) [NCBI Gene 554210] {aka MIRN429, hsa-mir-429, mir-429}, MIR1290 (microRNA 1290) [NCBI Gene 100302276] {aka MIRN1290, hsa-mir-1290}, EGF (epidermal growth factor) [NCBI Gene 403657] {aka CEGF}, EZH2 (enhancer of zeste 2 polycomb repressive complex 2 subunit) [NCBI Gene 2146] {aka ENX-1, ENX1, EZH2b, KMT6, KMT6A, WVS}, CANX (calnexin) [NCBI Gene 821] {aka CNX, IP90, P90}, MIR19B1 (microRNA 19b-1) [NCBI Gene 406980] {aka C13orf25, MIR19B, MIRH1, MIRHG1, MIRN19B1, miR-19b-1}, MIR130B (microRNA 130b) [NCBI Gene 406920] {aka MIRN130B, mir-130b}
- **Diseases:** metastasis (MESH:D009362), chondrosarcoma (MESH:D002813), Cancer (MESH:D009369), injury to (MESH:D014947), neurodegenerative (MESH:D019636), inflammation (MESH:D007249), IFP (MESH:D004620), arthritic (MESH:D015535), Sarcomas (MESH:D012509), mesenchymal malignancies (MESH:C535700), GCT (MESH:D005870), hypoxic (MESH:D002534)
- **Chemicals:** uranyl acetate (MESH:C005460), ribonucleotide (MESH:D012265), doxorubicin (MESH:D004317), Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (-), glucose (MESH:D005947), glutaraldehyde (MESH:D005976), lipid (MESH:D008055), purine (MESH:C030985), ATP (MESH:D000255), CO2 (MESH:D002245), SYBR Green (MESH:C098022), carbon (MESH:D002244), DPBS (MESH:C012939), N-2 (MESH:D009584), Zinc (MESH:D015032), trypan blue (MESH:D014343), T (MESH:D014316), GlutaMAX (MESH:C054122), copper (MESH:D003300), Nucleotide (MESH:D009711), Tyrosine (MESH:D014443)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]
- **Cell lines:** IFP — Homo sapiens (Human), Pancreatic adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_WN44), HT1080 — Homo sapiens (Human), Fibrosarcoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0317)

## Full text

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## Figures

8 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12937631/full.md

## References

114 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12937631/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12937631