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Published on: June 15, 2018
[MicroRNA-218 expression and its role in hepatocellular carcinoma]
Chao Li1, Kangsheng Tu, Xin Zheng
1Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University College of Medicine, Xi'an 710061, China.
Objective:
To investigate the expression of microRNA-218 (miR-218) and its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods:
Forty-six pairs of fresh surgical specimens of HCC and adjacent tissues were examined for miR-218 expression using qRT-PCR. A miR-218 mimic was transfected into HepG2 cells, and the cell viability and apoptosis were analyzed by MTT assay and flow cytometry, and the potential targets of miR-218 were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blotting.
Results:
The expressions of miR-218 in HCC tissues were significantly down-regulated compared to those in the adjacent tissues (P<0.05). Down-regulation of miR-218 was found to correlate significantly with the tumor size (>5 cm) and an advanced TNM stage (III+IV) (P<0.05). Ectopic expression of miR-218 in HepG2 cells resulted in suppressed cell proliferation and enhanced cell apoptosis as well as the down-regulation of Bmi-1 and CDK6 mRNA and protein expressions (P<0.05).
Conclusion:
The low-expression of miR-218 is correlated with malignant clinicopathological characteristics of HCC, and miR-218 may inhibit cell proliferation and promote cell apoptosis by down-regulating Bmi-1 and CDK6 in HCC.
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