RESUMEN
Accumulating evidence indicates that microRNAs are involved in multiple processes in cancer development and progression, and several miRNAs have emerged as candidate components of oncogene or tumor-suppressor networks in retinoblastoma. miR-101 has been identified as a tumor suppressor in several types of human cancer. However, the specific function of miR-101 in retinoblastoma remains unclear. In the present study, we found that the expression of miR-101 in retinoblastoma tissues was much lower than that in the normal controls. In addition, downregulation of miR-101 more frequently occurred in retinoblastoma specimens with adverse clinicopathological and histopathological features. In addition, miR-101 inhibited cell viability and progression in retinoblastoma cells by promoting cell apoptosis and arresting the cell cycle. Finally, we found that miR-101 directly inhibited EZH2 expression by targeting its 3'-UTR, and EZH2 was upregulated and inversely correlated with miR-101 expression in the retinoblastoma tissues. Thus, for the first time, we provide convincing evidence that downregulation of miR-101 is associated with tumor aggressiveness in retinoblastoma and inhibits cell growth and proliferation of retinoblastoma cells by targeting EZH2. In conclusion, all the evidence supports the tumor-suppressor role of miR-101 in human retinoblastoma.
Asunto(s)
MicroARNs/genética , Complejo Represivo Polycomb 2/genética , Neoplasias de la Retina/genética , Neoplasias de la Retina/patología , Retinoblastoma/genética , Retinoblastoma/patología , Apoptosis , Puntos de Control del Ciclo Celular , Línea Celular Tumoral , Niño , Preescolar , Proteína Potenciadora del Homólogo Zeste 2 , Femenino , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , Genes Supresores de Tumor , Humanos , Lactante , Masculino , MicroARNs/metabolismo , Invasividad Neoplásica/genética , Invasividad Neoplásica/patología , Complejo Represivo Polycomb 2/metabolismoRESUMEN
Retinoblastoma (RB) is a children's ocular cancer caused by mutated retinoblastoma 1 (Rb1) gene on both alleles. Rb1 and other related genes could be regulated by microRNAs (miRNA) via complementarily pairing with their target sites. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) possesses the oncogenic potential to target several tumor suppressor genes, including PDCD4, and regulates tumor progression and metastasis. However, the mechanism of how miR-21 regulates PDCD4 is poorly understood in RB. We investigated the expression of miRNAs in RB cell lines and identified that miR-21 is one of the most deregulated miRNAs in RB. Using qRT-PCR, we verified the expression level of several miRNAs identified by independent microarray assays, and analyzed miRNA expression patterns in three RB cell lines, including Weri-Rb1, Y79 and RB355. We found that miR-19b, -21, -26a, -195 and -222 were highly expressed in all three cell lines, suggesting their potential role in RB tumorigenesis. Using the TargetScan program, we identified a list of potential target genes of these miRNAs, of which PDCD4 is one the targets of miR-21. In this study, we focused on the regulatory mechanism of miR-21 on PDCD4 in RB. We demonstrated an inverse correlation between miR-21 and PDCD4 expression in Weri-Rb1 and Y79 cells. These data suggest that miR-21 down-regulates Rb1 by targeting PDCD4 tumor suppressor. Therefore, miR-21 could serve as a therapeutic target for retinoblastoma.