MiR-663 inhibits radiation-induced bystander effects by targeting TGFB1 in a feedback mode

The mechanisms of radiation-induced bystander effects (RIBE) have been investigated intensively over the past two decades. Although quite a few reports demonstrated that cytokines such as TGF-β1 are induced within the directly irradiated cells and play critical roles in mediating the bystander effects, little is known about the signaling pathways that occur in bystander cells. The crucial question as to why RIBE signals cannot be infinitely transmitted, therefore, remains unclear. In the present study, we showed that miR-663, a radiosensitive microRNA, participates in the regulation of biological effects in both directly irradiated and bystander cells via its targeting of TGF-β1. MiR-663 was downregulated, while TGFB1 was upregulated in directly irradiated cells. The regulation profile of miR-663 and TGFB1, on the other hand, was reversed in bystander cells, in which an elevated miR-663 expression was exhibited and led to downregulation of TGF-β1. Further studies revealed that miR-663 interacts with TGFB1 directly and that through its binding to the core regulation sequence, miR-663 suppresses the expression of TGFB1. Based on the results, we propose that miR-663 inhibits the propagation of RIBE in a feedback mode, in which the induction of TGF-β1 by reduced miR-663 in directly irradiated cells leads to increased level of miR-663 in bystander cells. The upregulation of miR-663 in turn suppresses the expression of TGF-β1 and limits further transmission of the bystander signals.