RESUMO
Increasing evidence suggests that chromosomal regions containing microRNAs are functionally important in cancers. Here, we show that genomic loci encoding miR-204 are frequently lost in multiple cancers, including ovarian cancers, pediatric renal tumors, and breast cancers. MiR-204 shows drastically reduced expression in several cancers and acts as a potent tumor suppressor, inhibiting tumor metastasis in vivo when systemically delivered. We demonstrated that miR-204 exerts its function by targeting genes involved in tumorigenesis including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin family member which is known to promote tumor angiogenesis and invasiveness. Analysis of primary tumors shows that increased expression of BDNF or its receptor tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) parallel a markedly reduced expression of miR-204. Our results reveal that loss of miR-204 results in BDNF overexpression and subsequent activation of the small GTPase Rac1 and actin reorganization through the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway leading to cancer cell migration and invasion. These results suggest that microdeletion of genomic loci containing miR-204 is directly linked with the deregulation of key oncogenic pathways that provide crucial stimulus for tumor growth and metastasis. Our findings provide a strong rationale for manipulating miR-204 levels therapeutically to suppress tumor metastasis.
Assuntos
Actinas/metabolismo , Movimento Celular/genética , Genoma Humano/genética , MicroRNAs/metabolismo , Neoplasias/enzimologia , Neoplasias/genética , Transdução de Sinais , Fator Neurotrófico Derivado do Encéfalo/genética , Fator Neurotrófico Derivado do Encéfalo/metabolismo , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proliferação de Células , Transformação Celular Neoplásica/genética , Transformação Celular Neoplásica/patologia , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Humanos , MicroRNAs/genética , Invasividade Neoplásica , Metástase Neoplásica , Neoplasias/patologia , Transporte Proteico , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/metabolismo , Serina-Treonina Quinases TOR/metabolismo , Proteínas rac1 de Ligação ao GTP/metabolismoRESUMO
Using a novel tissue-specific RNA interference (RNAi) approach that mimics the principle by which naturally occurring microRNAs (miRNA) are made, we demonstrate that the Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) transcription factor has an essential role in spermatogenesis. Mice depleted of WT1 in Sertoli nurse cells suffered from increased germ cell apoptosis, loss of adherens junctions, disregulation of adherence junction-associated genes, and impaired fertility. These effects were recapitulated in transgenic mice expressing a dominant-negative form of WT1 in Sertoli cells, demonstrating the validity of our RNAi approach. Our results indicate that the tumor suppressor WT1 promotes Sertoli cell-germ cell signaling events driving spermatogenesis.