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MicroRNA-124 inhibits cell invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by directly repressing Snail2 in gastric
1Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second People's Hospital of Liaocheng, Shandong, China. heiyingr1234@126.com.
Objective:
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act as critical regulators of genes expression involved in tumor biological processes. The study aimed to investigate the clinical significance and biological role of miR-124 in gastric cancer (GC).
Patients And Methods:
MiR-124 expression was analyzed from 88 GC tissues and adjacent normal tissues by quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test was used to evaluate the association between miR-124 and the over survival (OS) time of GC patients. MTT assays and transwell invasion assays were performed to assess cell proliferation and invasion. The relationship between miR-124 and Snail2 expression was analyzed by dual luciferase reporter assay. Western blot analyses were performed to detect the relative protein expression.
Results:
We found that miR-124 expression was significantly reduced in GC tissue samples when compared to the adjacent normal tissues (p<0.05). Lower miR-124 was found to be associated with tumor size (p=0.001), lymphatic metastasis (p=0.008) and TNM stage (p=0.015). Furthermore, patients who have lower miR-124 predicted poor OS time (p<0.05). Function studies suggested that cell proliferation and invasion ability of GC cells were inhibited by up-regulation of miR-124 expression. Moreover, we demonstrated that Snail2 was a direct target of miR-124. Meanwhile, miR-124 inhibited Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) process by repressing the Snail2 expression in GC cells.
Conclusions:
MiR-124 acted as a tumor suppressor in GC and may be a useful target for GC treatment.
Insights
MicroRNA-124 (miR-124) is significantly reduced in gastric cancer (GC) tissues, acting as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting cell proliferation, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) via Snail2 repression. Lower miR-124 predicts poor survival in GC patients.
Area of Science:
- Molecular biology
- Oncology
- Gene regulation
Background:
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression in tumor biology.
- Gastric cancer (GC) is a significant global health concern with complex biological processes.
- Understanding the role of specific miRNAs, like miR-124, is crucial for GC research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical significance of miR-124 in gastric cancer.
- To elucidate the biological role of miR-124 in GC progression and development.
- To explore miR-124 as a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) to measure miR-124 expression in 88 GC tissues and adjacent normal tissues.
- Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test to assess the association between miR-124 and overall survival (OS).
- In vitro assays (MTT, Transwell) for cell proliferation and invasion, dual luciferase reporter assay for target validation (Snail2), and Western blot for protein expression analysis.
Main Results:
- MiR-124 expression was significantly downregulated in GC tissues compared to normal tissues (p<0.05).
- Reduced miR-124 levels correlated with larger tumor size, lymphatic metastasis, and advanced TNM stage (p<0.05).
- Lower miR-124 expression predicted poorer OS in GC patients. MiR-124 upregulation inhibited GC cell proliferation and invasion, targeting Snail2 and suppressing Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT).
Conclusions:
- MiR-124 functions as a tumor suppressor in gastric cancer.
- The downregulation of miR-124 is associated with adverse clinicopathological features and poor prognosis in GC.
- MiR-124 represents a promising therapeutic target for gastric cancer treatment.
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