MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that negatively regulate protein expression by binding protein-coding mRNAs and repressing translation. Accumulating evidence suggests that miRNAs are involved in cancer development and progression, acting as either tumor suppressors or oncogenes. Intriguingly, it has been shown that miR-133b was significantly downregulated in several types of cancers. However, its role and relevance in gastric cancer are still largely unknown. We showed that miR-133b was downregulated in human gastric cancer tissues and cell lines compared with nontumor counterparts by quantitative RT-PCR analysis. Overexpression of miR-133b could inhibit cell proliferation and colony formation of the gastric cancer cell lines MKN-45 and SGC-7901. Bioinformatics analysis indicated two putative miR-133b binding sites in the 3'-untranslated region of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) mRNA. In dual-luciferase reporter assay, miR-133b reduced the luciferase activity of Luc-FGFR1-wt, and mutation of miR-133b binding sites abolished the inhibitory effect of miR-133b. In this study, we found that miR-133b reduced the protein but not the mRNA levels of endogenous FGFR1. Furthermore, FGFR1 expression was upregulated in gastric cancer tissues and inversely correlated with miR-133b expression. Finally, knockdown of FGFR1 inhibited the growth of MKN-45 cells in a dose-dependent manner and overexpression of FGFR1 promoted the growth of GES-1 cells. These results indicate that miR-133b targets FGFR1 and inhibits gastric cancer cell growth, suggesting that it may serve as a tumor suppressive target in gastric cancer therapy.
BackgroundA growing body of evidence supports the involvement of long noncoding RNA 00152 (LINC00152) in the progression and metastasis of multiple cancers. However, the exact roles of LINC00152 in the progression of human retinoblastoma (RB) remain unknown. We explored the expression and biological function of human RB.Materials and methodsThe expression level of LINC00152 in RB tissues and cells was analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR. The function of LINC00152 was determined using a series of in vitro assays. In vivo, a nude mouse model was established to analyze the function of LINC00152. Gene and protein expressions were detected using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot assays, respectively.ResultsThe expression of LINC00152 mRNA was upregulated in RB tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of LINC00152 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion and promoted cell apoptosis and caspase-3 and caspase-8 activities in vitro, as well as suppressing tumorigenesis in vivo. We identified several genes related to proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion including Ki-67, Bcl-2, and MMP-9 that were transcriptionally inactivated by LINC00152.ConclusionTaken together, these data implicate LINC00152 as a therapeutic target in RB.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.