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miR-141 promotes colon cancer cell proliferation by inhibiting MAP2K4

Lei Ding1, Li-Li Yu1, Ning Han1

  • 1Department of Radiology, The Third Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130000, P.R. China.

Oncology Letters
|April 30, 2017
PubMed

Insights

MicroRNA-141 (miR-141) is upregulated in colorectal cancer (CRC), inhibiting the tumor suppressor MAP2K4 and promoting cancer cell proliferation. Targeting this miR-141-MAP2K4 pathway offers a potential new CRC treatment strategy.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play dual roles as tumor suppressors or oncogenes.
  • Increased miRNA-141 (miR-141) expression is frequently observed in colorectal cancer (CRC).
  • Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MAP2K4) is a known tumor suppressor and a target of miR-141.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of miR-141 in the proliferation of colonic cancer.
  • To examine the relationship between miR-141 and MAP2K4 expression in colorectal adenocarcinoma (CAC).

Main Methods:

  • Western blotting and immunohistochemistry to assess protein expression.
  • Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for gene expression analysis.
  • MTT assays to evaluate cell proliferation and apoptosis in CAC cell lines.

Main Results:

  • miR-141 was significantly upregulated in CAC tissues compared to adjacent non-cancerous (NC) tissues.
  • MAP2K4 expression was downregulated in CAC tissues.
  • Overexpression of miR-141 in vitro inhibited MAP2K4 activity, leading to increased CAC cell proliferation.

Conclusions:

  • miR-141 promotes colonic cancer cell proliferation by suppressing MAP2K4.
  • The miR-141-MAP2K4 signaling pathway is a potential therapeutic target for CRC treatment.
Keywords:
apoptosiscolon cancermiR-141mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4

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