Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

Studying TGF-β Signaling and TGF-β-induced Epithelial-to-mesenchymal Transition in Breast Cancer and Normal Cells
06:54

Studying TGF-β Signaling and TGF-β-induced Epithelial-to-mesenchymal Transition in Breast Cancer and Normal Cells

Published on: October 27, 2020

c-Myc suppressed E-cadherin through miR-9 at the post-transcriptional level

Mei Liu1, Hongxia Zhu, Shangbin Yang

  • 1Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology & State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute & Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China.

Cell Biology International
|February 1, 2013
PubMed

Insights

The c-Myc oncoprotein represses E-cadherin expression post-transcriptionally via microRNA-9 (miR-9). This study elucidates a novel mechanism linking c-Myc, miR-9, and E-cadherin regulation in cancer.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Gene Regulation

Background:

  • c-Myc oncoprotein is frequently overexpressed in human cancers.
  • The mechanism by which c-Myc represses E-cadherin post-transcriptionally is not fully understood.
  • E-cadherin is a known target of miR-9, and miR-9 can be activated by MYC/MYCN.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the microRNA pathway in c-Myc-mediated repression of E-cadherin.
  • To elucidate the precise mechanism of c-Myc's negative modulation of E-cadherin expression.

Main Methods:

  • Established a doxycycline-inducible c-Myc expression system in T-REx-293 cells.
  • Utilized stem-loop RT-PCR to assess miR-9 expression levels.
  • Employed antagomir-9 to inhibit miR-9 activity in cells overexpressing c-Myc.

Main Results:

  • Overexpression of c-Myc induced an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like phenotype, decreasing E-cadherin and increasing Vimentin.
  • Induced c-Myc overexpression led to significantly elevated miR-9 levels.
  • Inhibition of miR-9 using antagomir-9 partially restored E-cadherin expression in the presence of c-Myc.

Conclusions:

  • c-Myc represses E-cadherin expression at the post-transcriptional level.
  • The microRNA-9 pathway is a key mediator of c-Myc's effect on E-cadherin.
  • This finding provides a novel insight into cancer progression and potential therapeutic targets.

More Related Videos

Induction of Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transitions in Sarcoma Cells11:42

Induction of Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transitions in Sarcoma Cells

Published on: April 7, 2017

Related Concept Videos

Cadherins in Tissue Organization01:19

Cadherins in Tissue Organization

The cadherins are a superfamily of cell adhesion molecules comprising over 180 variants, with specific tissues expressing a particular combination of cadherin types. Cadherins generally exhibit homophilic binding; i.e., cadherins on one cell bind to cadherins of the same or closely related type on another cell. Thus, cells of the same type have a specific affinity to bind to each other and sort themselves into clusters to form tissues.
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...
Master Transcription Regulators02:23

Master Transcription Regulators

Master transcription regulators are regulatory proteins that are predominantly responsible for regulating the expression of multiple genes. Often these genes work in concert to drive a  complex process. Activation of a master transcription regulator can lead to a cascade of transcriptional activation necessary for that outcome. These regulators can directly bind to the regulatory sequences of the various genes involved, or they can indirectly regulate transcription by binding to regulatory...
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells01:06

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different cell types. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are terminally differentiated; however, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they dedifferentiate and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Somatic cells are...
MicroRNAs01:22

MicroRNAs

MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns—non-coding regions of a gene—or intergenic regions—stretches of DNA present between genes. Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After the pre-miRNA ends...
MicroRNAs01:22

MicroRNAs

MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns (non-coding regions of a gene) or intergenic regions (stretches of DNA present between genes). Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself, forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After the pre-miRNA...
Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...