RESUMEN
Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a primary contributor to cancerassociated mortality. The Lin28/let7 axis has previously been verified to participate in numerous pathophysiological processes involved in CRC. However, the potential roles and underlying mechanisms of this axis in apoptosis during CRC remain to be fully elucidated. The present study aimed to evaluate the role and reveal the molecular mechanisms of the Lin28/let7 axis in the apoptosis of CRC cells. An MTT assay was conducted to assess the cell viability of HCT116 and HT29 CRC cells, and caspase3 activity was analyzed to measure the apoptosis of CRC cells. Western blotting and reverse transcriptionquantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed to examine the expression of Lin28, Bcell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2), Bcl2associated X protein, Bcl2like 1 (BCL2L1) and let7c. The present study demonstrated that Lin28 was upregulated whereas let7c was downregulated in CRC tissues and cell lines compared with normal tissues and NCM460 normal colon epithelial cells, respectively. Forced overexpression of let7c promoted apoptosis in CRC cells, which was at least partially mediated via the targeting of BCL2L1. Furthermore, knockdown of Lin28 decreased viability and promoted apoptosis in CRC cells, whereas this effect was attenuated by let7c inhibition. The findings of the present study suggest the involvement of the Lin28/let7c axis in apoptosis during CRC, and indicate the potential role of this pathway as a novel therapeutic target in CRC.