The Role of miR-486-5p on CSCs Phenotypes in Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third diagnosed cancer worldwide. Forty-four percent of metastatic colorectal cancer patients were diagnosed at an early stage. Despite curative resection, approximately 40% of patients will develop metastases within a few years. Previous studies indicate the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and their contribution to CRC progression and metastasis. miRNAs deregulation plays a role in CSCs formation and in tumor development. In light of previous studies, we investigated the role of miR-486-5p to understand its role in CSC better.

The expression of miR-486-5p was assessed in adherent cells and spheres generated from two CRC cell lines to observe the difference in expression in CSC-enriched spheroids. Afterward, we overexpressed and underexpressed this miRNA in adherent and sphere cultures through the transfection of a miR-486-5p mimic and a mimic inhibitor.

The results demonstrated that miR-486-5p exhibited a notable downregulation in CSC models, and its overexpression led to a significant decrease in colony size.

In this study, we confirmed that miR-486-5p plays an oncosuppressive role in CRC, thereby advancing our understanding of the role of this microRNA in the CSC phenotype.