miR-374a promotes the proliferation of osteosarcoma cell proliferation by targeting Axin2

Background: MicroRNA-374a (miR-374a) has been implicated in several cancers. However, its role in osteosarcoma (OS) remains unclear. Thus the aim of this study was to investigate its expression and role in progression of OS. Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect the expression of miR-374a in OS cell lines and tissues. To further understand its role, we restored expression of miR-374a in MG63 cell line by transfection with miR-374a mimics or inhibitors. Effects of miR-374a on cell proliferation on targets were also determined. Results: In the present study, our results showed that miR-374a was significantly up-regulated in both OS cell lines and OS tissues. Over expression of miR-374a markedly accelerated proliferation of OS cells, while its inhibition significantly suppressed cell proliferation. Moreover, Axin2 was identified to be a functional downstream target of miR-374a, and decreased expression of Axin2 could promote OS cell proliferation. Conclusion: Our study suggested that miR-374a functions as an oncogene in OS, and the miR-374a/Axin2 axis might represent a potential therapeutic target for OS intervention.     

miRNA-221 promotes proliferation,migration and invasion by targeting TIMP2 in renal cell carcinoma

Introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in tumorigenesis. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-221 in the development and progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to measure the expression level of miR-221 in ccRCC tissues and cell lines. Then, we investigated the role of miR-221 to determine its potential roles on renal cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. A luciferase reporter assay was conducted to confirm the target gene of miR-221 and the results were validated in renal cancer cells. Results: In the present study, we found that miR-221 was significantly increased in ccRCC tissues and cell lines. Knocked-down expression of miR-221 remarkably inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion of renal cancer cells. Moreover, at the molecular level, our results suggested that TIMP2 as a direct target of miR-221 through which miR-221 promoted tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Conclusions: These findings suggested that miR-221 play an oncogenic role in the renal cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion by directly inhibiting the tumor suppressor TIMP2, indicating miR-221 act as a potential new therapeutic target for the treatment of ccRCC.     

miR-34c-3p inhibits cell proliferation,migration and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting MARCKS

Recent studies have shown that microRNA-34c-3p (miR-34c-3p) is down-regulated in various types of cancers and involved in tumor growth, invasion and metastasis. However, the roles of miR-34c-3p in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are poorly understood. In this study, the expression profile of miR-34c-3pin HCC tissues and cell lines were examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The correlations of miR-34c-3p expression and clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. The biological role of MiR-34c-3pin cell proliferation, migration and invasion was examined. In addition, the targets of miR-34c-3p were identified. The results showed that miR-34c-3p expression was significantly down-regulated in HCC tissues and cell lines; low expression level of miR-34c-3p was correlated with vascular invasion and advanced TNM stage. In vitro functional assays showed that overexpression of miR-34c-3pin HepG2 and Huh7 cells significantly reduced cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Furthermore, target analysis and luciferase assay identified myristoylated alanine-rich protein kinase c substrate (MARCKS) as a specific target of miR-34c-3p. Knockdown of MARCKS in HepG2 cells reduced cell migration and invasion, but not cell proliferation. Taken together, our findings implicate the potential application of miR-34c-3p as a tumor suppressor in cancer therapy.     

MicroRNA-338-3p inhibits cell proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma by target forkhead box P4 (FOXP4)

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, non-coding RNAs, which have demonstrated to important gene regulators, and have critical roles in diverse biological processes including cancer cell proliferation. Previous studies suggested microRNA-338-3p (miR-338-3p) was down-regulated and play tumor suppressor roles in gastric cancer, colorectal carcinoma and lung cancer. However, the role of miR-338-3p in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unclear. In this study, we analyzed the expression of miR-338-3p in HCC tissues and HCC cell lines. We find that miR-338-3p was downregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines. Then functional studies demonstrate ectopic miR-338-3p expression significantly suppressed the in vitro proliferation and colony formation of HCC cells and cause to cell cycle arrest. Using bio-informatic method and report assay we identified a novel miR-338-3p target, FOXP4 in HCC cells. Furthermore, knockdown of FOXP4 have the similar effects in HCC corrected with miR-338-3p. These findings suggest that miR-338-3p regulates survival of HCC cells partially through the downregulation of FOXP4. Therefore, targeting with the miR-338-3p/FOXP4 axis might serve as a novel therapeutic application to treat HCC patients.     

MiR-26b inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation,migration, and invasion by targeting EphA2

Deregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in cancer progression as a result of changes in expression of their target genes. In this study, we investigated the expression of miR-16b in eight hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines, revealed the roles of miR-26b on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and confirmed that EphA2 is a direct target of miR-26b. The miR-26b expression was decreased and EphA2 expression was evaluated in HCC cell lines. Luciferase assays revealed that miR-26b inhibited EphA2 expression by targeting the 3’-untranslated region of EphA2 mRNA. Overexpression of miR-26b dramatically inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of HCC cells by targeting EphA2. Moreover, miR-26b down-regulated c-Myc and CyclinD1 expression, which was reversed by overexpressed EphA2. Taken together, our data demonstrated the mechanism of miR-26b contributed to HCC progression and implicated that miR-26b’s potential in HCC therapy.     

miR-503 inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells by targeting E2F3

Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the major healthcare problems worldwide. A lot of miRNAs are aberrantly expressed in CRC and involved in its development and progression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression and function of miR-503 in CRC. Methods: miR-503 expression was detected in CRC tissues and cell lines by Quantitative real-time PCR. Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were measured by flow cytometry. Moreover, luciferase reporter assay and western blot were performed to determine the potential target of miR-503 in CRC cells. Results: miR-503 was significantly decreased in CRC tissues and cell lines in comparison with controls. Overexpression of miR-503 in CRC cells remarkably inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, E2F3 was identified as a direct target of miR-503 in CRC cells and down-regulation of E2F3 had a similar effect as miR-503 overexpression on CRC cells. In addition, the expression of E2F3 was negatively correlated with miR-503 level in CRC tissues. Conclusions: miR-503 inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis by directly targeting E2F3 in CRC cells, indicating its potential application in CRC diagnosis and therapy.     

miR-634 在肝癌中的表达及对肝癌细胞生物学行为的影响

目的:检测microRNA-634(miR-634)在肝癌中的表达水平及其对肝癌细胞常见生物学行为的调控作用。方法:采用实时荧光定量PCR(RT鄄qPCR)法检测肝癌细胞系(HepG2、SMMC7721、Bel7402、Bel7404、SNU739)、69 例肝癌组织及匹配癌旁组织中miR-634 的相对定量,分析miR-634 表达与肝癌患者性别、年龄、肿瘤直径、分化程度、Child-Pugh 分级、BCLC 分期、门静脉癌栓及肝外转移的关系,同时构建miR-634 的真核表达载体并转染肝癌细胞系,采用活细胞计数试剂盒CCK-8、流式细胞仪Annexin V/ PI 双染法和Transwell 侵袭实验检测转染miR鄄634 对细胞增殖、凋亡和侵袭能力的影响。结果:与正常人肝细胞系L-02 相比,肝癌细胞的miR-634 水平均降低(P <0.05),表达量依次为HepG2 >SNU739 >Bel7402 > Bel7404 >SMMC7721;69 例肝癌组织的miR鄄634 水平为(0.253±0.019),低于匹配癌旁组织(P<0.05),且与肿瘤直径、分化程度、BCLC分期、门静脉癌栓及肝外转移均有关(P<0.05)。过表达组转染24 ~96 h 后的miR鄄634 水平持续升高,与对照组和空转染组的差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);与对照组和空转染组相比,转染组的增殖抑制率、凋亡率均升高,但穿膜细胞数降低,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:miR-634 在肝癌组织和细胞中均为低表达,且与临床病理参数有关,上调其水平可抑制肝癌细胞增殖及侵袭并诱导凋亡,对于肝癌防治有重要借鉴价值。     

Decreased miR-124 contributes to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype formation of lung adenocarcinoma cells via targeting enhancer of zeste homolog 2

IntroductionMiR-124, a tumor suppressor, is involved in regulating various cellular processes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible function of miR-124 in LA (lung adenocarcinoma) cells.AimsMiR-124 expression levels in the 54 pairs of LA tissues (and corresponding non-tumor tissues) obtained at the Sixth People’s Hospital of Yancheng City and in LA cells were assessed by qRT-PCR. Colony formation assay, wound healing assay, transwell assays, attachment/detachment, western blotting and immunofluorescence assays were performed to assess the function of miR-124 on proliferation, migration and epithelial-to-mesenchymal (EMT) phenotypes in LA cells in vitro. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is identified as a target of miR-124 by bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays. Rescue assays were applied to verify the relationship between miR-124 and EZH2.ResultsMiR-124 was down-regulated in LA tissues (compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues), and was down-regulated in 3 out of 4 lung cancer cell lines compared to immortalized, non-tumorigenic bronchial epithelial cells. Forced expression of miR-124 significantly suppressed tumor cell proliferation, migration and inhibited the EMT process. On the contrary, deletion of miR-124 could obviously promote cell proliferation, migration and facilitate the formation of EMT phenotype. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays confirmed that EZH2 was a target gene of miR-124 and was negatively correlated with the level of miR-124 in cancer tissues.ConclusionOur current study suggested that miR-124 was a tumor suppressor in LA, and miR-124 was associated with LA cell EMT phenotype formation via targeting EZH2.     

MicroRNA-194 acts as a prognostic marker and inhibits proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting MAP4K4

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in cancer development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we aimed to analyze the role of microRNA-194 (miR-194) in HCC. We found that miR-194 expression was significantly reduced in HCC and its expression was an independent poor prognostic factor for HCC patient overall and disease-free survival rate. A significant correlation was observed between miR-194 reduction and unfavourable variables including tumor size (P = 0.0315), histologic grade (P = 0.0038), TNM stage (P = 0.0083), intrahepatic metastasis (P = 0.0184). Overexpression of miR-194 in HCC cell lines HepG2 and Hep3B inhibited cell proliferation by blocking G1-S transition and inducing apoptosis. Mitogen-activated protein kinase 4 (MAP4K4), a potential target gene of miR-194, was inversely correlated with miR-194 expression in HCC tissues and cell lines. Further studies demonstrated that miR-194 regulated the progression of HCC through directly inhibiting the expression of MAP4K4 and the restoration of MAP4K4 expression reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-194 on HCC cell proliferation. Together, our findings indicate that miR-194 may serve as a valuable prognostic marker and promising interventional therapeutic target for HCC.     

MicroRNA-139-5p inhibits cell proliferation and invasion by targeting insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor in human non-small cell lung cancer

Introduction: Increasing evidence suggested that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in tumorigenesis. Decreased expression of miRNA-139-5p has been observed in various types of cancers. However, the biological function of miRNA-139-5p in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still largely unknown. Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to explore the expression level of miRNA-139-5p in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Then, we investigated the role of miRNA-139-5p to determine its potential roles on lung cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. A luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm the target gene of miRNA-139-5p and the results were validated in renal cancer cells. Results: miRNA-139-5p was significantly decreased in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Over-expression of miRNA-139-5p could inhibit lung cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Furthermore, we identified insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) as a target of miR-139-5p and miR-139-5p function as a tumor suppressor via targeting IGF1R in NSCLC. Conclusions: Our results indicated that miR-139-5p acts as a tumor suppressor in NSCLC partially via down-regulating IGF1R expression.     

Down-regulation of miR-497 is associated with poor prognosis in renal cancer

Introduction: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common type of cancer in the adult kidney, and the prognosis of metastatic ccRCC remains poor with high mortality. Recent study indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs) played critical roles in tumor progression. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression, biological role and clinical significance of miR-497 in ccRCC. Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect the expression of miR-497 in renal cancer cell lines and ccRCC tissues. The association between miR-497 expression and overall survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Gain of function assays were performed in the 786-O renal cancer cell line. Results: Expression of the miR-497 was significantly decreased in renal cancer cell lines and ccRCC tissues when compared with normal human proximal tubule epithelial cells and adjacent non-tumor tissues. Decreased miR-497 expression was significantly associated with tumor stage, histological grade and lymph node metastases. Significantly shorter overall survival was observed in patients with lower expression of the miR-497. Overexpression of miR-497 significantly inhibited renal cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that miR-497 was decreased in ccRCC tissues and may provide a potential prognostic biomarker and a potential target for therapeutic intervention.     

miR-145 suppressed human retinoblastoma cell proliferation and invasion by targeting ADAM19

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in retinoblastoma (RB) initiation and progression, aberrant expression of miR-145 had been frequently reported in cancer studies. However, the role and mechanism of its function in RB is still unclear. In this study, our data showed that miR-145 was downregulated in RB tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-145 suppressed RB cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. ADAM19 was identified as a direct target of miR-145. Silencing of ADAM19 significantly inhibited RB cell proliferation, migration and invasion. In addition, a reverse correlation between miR-145 and ADAM19 expression was noted in RB tissues. Taken together, these findings suggested that miR-145 functions as a tumor suppressor in RB by directly targeting ADAM19. miR-145 could be an anticancer therapeutic target for RB patients.     

miR-455-5p suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth and invasion via IGF-1R/AKT/GLUT1 pathway by targeting IGF-1R

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the most frequently observed forms of cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are increasingly thought to play a key role in regulating the onset and progression of a wide range of cancer types. In the present report, we found that miR-455-5p expression was significantly decreased in both HCC patient tumor tissues and cell lines, and that this reduction in expression was linked to poorer patient outcomes. When we overexpressed miR-455-5p in HCC cell lines (Huh7 and HepG2), this was linked with impaired proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion. We further found that this miRNA was able to directly bind the insulin growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) 3′-untranslated region, thereby suppressing IGF-1R expression in HCC cells. Consistent with this, miR-455-5p overexpression was associated with reduced glucose transporter (GLUT) 1 expression, which in turn inhibited HCC cell uptake of glucose, production of lactate, and generation of ATP. Together these results thus indicate that mIR-455-5p is able to suppress tumor functionality via impairing glycolysis in HCC cells, highlighting this miRNA as a potential target for anti-cancer therapeutic interventions.     

miR-106a promotes growth and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer by targeting PTEN

MicroRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs that play essential roles in cancer development and progression. Recent studies suggested that abnormal expression of miRNAs occurs frequently in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. In this study, we investigated the expression and the biological roles of miR-106a in non-small cell lung cancer. Our results showed that miR-106a was up-regulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Inhibition of miR-106a in NSCLC cells substantially inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) was identified as a direct target of miR-106a, and over-expression of miR-106a suppressed PTEN by direct binding to its 3’-untranslated region (3’-UTR). Furthermore, the presence of miR-106a was inversely correlated with PTEN in NSCLC tissues. Overall, this study suggested that miR-106a inhibited the growth and metastasis of NSCLC cells by decreasing PTEN expression. These data provide novel insights with potential therapeutic applications for the treatment of NSCLC.     

miR-107 靶向NID2 通过Notch 信号通路调控肺癌细胞的增殖侵袭

目的:miR-107 靶向NID2 调控Notch 信号通路影响肺癌的侵袭和增殖。方法:免疫组化检测NID2 在肺癌组织和正常肺组织中的表达;PCR 检测miR-107 在肺癌组织中的表达;双荧光素酶报告基因系统检测miR-107 对NID2 转录活性的影响;肿瘤细胞成球实验检测miR-107 的表达对肺癌细胞A549 的增殖能力的影响;Transwell 侵袭实验检测miR-107 的表达对肺癌A549 细胞的侵袭能力的影响;划痕试验检测miR-107 的表达对肺癌A549 细胞的迁移能力的影响;Western blot 检测过表达miR-107 后Notch 信号通路的蛋白表达水平。结果:和正常肺组织比较,NID2 在肺癌组织中表达较高;miR-107 在肺癌组织中表达明显降低;双荧光素酶报告基因系统检测结果显示,miR-107 可以直接调控NID2 的转录活性;过表达miR-107 后,肺癌细胞A549 的增殖、侵袭和迁移能力明显降低;过表达miR-107 后,Notch1、hes-1、presenilin1 蛋白表达下调。结论:miR-107靶向NID2 的表达,通过Notch 通路调控肺癌细胞的增殖和侵袭能力。     

MicroRNA-485-5p suppresses cell proliferation and invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting stanniocalcin 2

Increasing evidences indicate that dys-regulation of MicroRNAs contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the roles of miR-485-5p in HCC are still largely unexplored. In the present study, our quantitative real-time PCR analysis found that miR-485-5p was significantly down-regulated in 50 pairs of human HCC tissues. Moreover, the reduced expression of miR-485-5p was significantly correlated with larger tumor size and more tumor number in patients with HCC. In vitro studies further showed that overexpression of miR-485-5p mimics could inhibit, while its antisense oligos promote cell proliferation and invasion. Results from the dual-luciferase reporter gene assays and western blot further showed that stanniocalcin 2 was a direct target of miR-485-5p. Therefore, our data suggest a novel role for miR-485-5p in the regulation of HCC progression.