MiR-574-3p exerts as a tumor suppressor in ovarian cancer through inhibiting MMP3 expression

The mortality rate of ovarian cancer (OC) has always been the highest among all female reproductive system malignant tumors. Currently, miRNAs have been verified to participate in the tumorigenesis and prognosis of OC. However, the expression and function of miR-574-3p in OC have not been fully elucidated.

The expression level of miR-574-3p in OC tissues and cells was detected using quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). By transfection of miR-574-3p mimics or inhibitor, the expression of miR-574-3p in SW626 or A2780 cells was up-regulated or down-regulated, respectively. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays were used to measure the proliferation of transfected OC cells. Meanwhile, the transwell assay was applied to detect the migration and invasion abilities of OC cells. Furthermore, dual-luciferase reporter gene analysis and Western blot were utilized to explore the underlying downstream molecules for miR-574-3p in OC.

MiR-574-3p was lowly expressed in OC tissue samples when compared with para-tumor tissues. Meanwhile, the expression of miR-574-3p in OC-derived cells was significantly lower than normal control HOSE cells. The overexpression of miR-574-3p markedly reduced the proliferation, invasion, and migration of SW626 cells. However, the inhibition of miR-574-3p remarkably accelerated the growth and metastasis of A2780 cells. MMP3 was verified as a direct target for miR-574-3p in OC. In addition, miR-574-3p could reduce the protein expression of MMP3 by binding to its 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR).

MiR-574-3p functioned as a tumor suppressor in OC, which might be served as a potential target for the diagnosis and therapy for OC.