BackgroundMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs, which post-transcriptionally repress the expression of genes involved in cancer initiation and progression. Although some miRNAs that target many signaling pathways (also called universe miRNAs) are supposed to play a global role in diverse human tumors, their regulatory functions in gynecological cancers remain largely unknown. We investigated the biological role and underlying mechanism of miR-548c (one universe miRNA) in endometrial and ovarian cancer.MethodsThe effects of miR-548c overexpression on cell proliferation, migration and invasion were studied in endometrial and ovarian cancer cells. TWIST1 (Twist) was identified as a direct miR-548c target by western blot analysis and luciferase activity assay. The expression of miR-548c and Twist were examined by qRT-PCR in endometrial and ovarian cancer tissues.ResultsHere, we report that miR-548c is down-regulated in endometrial and ovarian cancer tissues when compared to normal tissues, and our meta-analysis reveal that decreased miR-548c expression correlates with poor prognosis in endometrial cancer patients. We show that in endometrial and ovarian cancer cells, ectopic expression of miR-548c significantly inhibits whereas knockdown of miR-548c dramatically induces cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. By using luciferase reporter assay, we demonstrate that Twist, a known oncogene in endometrial and ovarian cancers, is a direct target of miR-548c. Furthermore, the expression of Twist partially abrogates the tumor suppressive effects of miR-548c on cell migration and invasion.ConclusionThese findings suggest that miR-548c directly downregulates Twist, and provide a novel mechanism for Twist upregulation in both endometrial and ovarian cancers. The use of miR-548c may hold therapeutic potential for the treatment of Twist-overexpressing tumors.
The purpose of this work is to evaluate whether human microRNA-3129 (hsa-miR-3129) may functionally regulate cancer development, possibly through downstream target CD44 in human epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Direct targeting of hsa-miR-3129 on human CD44 transcript was evaluated using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Gene expression of hsa-miR-3129 in immortal EOC cell lines was evaluated by qRT-PCR. Lentivirus-mediated hsa-miR-3129 upregulation or downregulation was conducted in SK-OV-3 and CAOV-3 cells, in which endogenous hsa-miR-3129 and CD44 expressions were then measured. In hsa-miR-3129 upregulated or downregulated EOC cells, functional assays were applied to evaluate EOC proliferation, bufalin chemoresistance in vitro, or xenotransplantation in vivo. Moreover, CD44 was ectopically overexposed in hsa-miR-3129 upregulated EOC cells to functionally evaluate the correlation between hsa-miR-3129 and CD44 in EOC. Dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed hsa-miR-3129 directly binds CD44. QRT-PCR revealed that hsa-miR-3129 was substantially downregulated in EOC cell lines. In SK-OV-3 and CAOV-3 cells, lentivirus-induced hsa-miR-3129 upregulation downregulated CD44 whereas hsa-miR-3129 downregulation did not affect CD44 expression. Hsa-miR-3129 upregulation had significant anti-cancer effects by inhibiting EOC proliferation, increasing bufalin chemoresistance, and suppressing xenotransplantation. On the other hand, overexpressing CD44 reversed the anti-cancer functions by hsa-miR-3129 upregulation in EOC cells. In conclusion, Has-miR-3129 is a functional regulator, possibly through reverse targeting on CD44, in EOC.
LfcinB9 is a peptide derived from lactoferricin B. In the present study, the effect and relative mechanism of LfcinB9 on human ovarian cancer cell line (SK-OV-3) in vitro and in vivo was investigated. The data obtained indicated that LfcinB9 exhibited low hemolysis activity and significantly inhibited the proliferation of SK-OV-3 cells in vitro. In addition, the apoptosis of SK-OV-3 cells was induced through up-regulating the production of reactive oxygen species and activating caspase-3, caspase-9 on both transcription and translation level. Finally, LfcinB9 significantly prevented the tumor growth in the SK-OV-3-bearing mice model. These results indicated that LfcinB9 could be a potential agent for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
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