Integrative analysis of exosomal microRNA-149-5p in lung adenocarcinoma

Abstract

Background Exosomes play an important role in the regulation of various processes in the tumor microenvironment. In this study, we explored the mechanisms of exosomal miR-149-5p in the pathogenesis of lung adenocarcinoma. Methods Raw GEO data were downloaded and normalized using the R package. Exosomal miRNAs that were found to be significantly expressed were subjected to WGCNA co-expression network analysis. The proliferation, migration and apoptotic abilities of tumor cells were assessed by the MTS, Transwell and apoptosis assays. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the independent factors of target genes. Results Results showed that exosomal miR-149-5p was enriched in peripheral serum and tumor cells. The upregulation of exosomal miR-149-5p promoted the growth and migration of tumor cells, and inhibited apoptosis of tumor cells. Notably, target genes of exosomal miR-149-5p, AMOTL2 and MSRB3, were significantly downregulated in lung adenocarcinoma and thus may be considered as independent risk factors of poor survival. In TCGA-LUAD cohort, miR-149-5p was found to be a negative regulator of AMOTL2 and MSRB3 genes.Conclusion Collectively, these results provide novel insights for further mechanistic studies on lung adenocarcinoma.