MiR-26a and miR-144 inhibit proliferation and metastasis of esophageal squamous cell cancer by inhibiting cyclooxygenase-2

Abstract

The altered expression of miRNAs is involved in carcinogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but whether miRNAs regulate COX-2 expression in ESCC is not clear. To this end, the expression levels of miR-26a and miR-144 in ESCC clinical tissues and cell lines were investigated by qRT-PCR. COX-2 and PEG2 were quantified by western blot and ELISA. Decrease in miR-26a and miR-144 expression in ESCC was found by a comparison between 30 pairs of ESCC tumor and adjacent normal tissues as well as in 11 ESCC cell lines (P < 0.001). Co-transfection of miR-26a and miR-144 in ESCC cell lines more significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion than did either miR-26a or miR-144 alone (all P < 0.001), as shown by assays of CCK8, migration and invasion and flow cytometry. The inhibitory effect of these two miRNAs in vivo was also verified in nude mice xenograft models. COX-2 was confirmed as a target of miR-26a and miR-144. In conclusion, miR-26a and miR-144 expression is downregulated in ESCC. Co-expression of miR-26a and miR-144 in ESCC cells resulted in inhibition of proliferation and metastasis in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that targeting COX-2 may be the mechanism of these two miRNAs.

Downregulated microRNA-26a modulates prostate cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis by targeting COX-2

“…Increased cytochrome c oxidase subunit II (COX-2) expression has been linked to the initiation and progression of human (11), and COX-2 has been reported to play a key role in the apoptosis of cancer cells (12). In the present study, it was found that miR-26a was significantly downregulated in prostate cancer tissues.…”

miR-144 inhibits growth and metastasis of cervical cancer cells by targeting VEGFA and VEGFC

“…Hence, identification of miRNAs and their target genes involved in tumorigenesis will provide key clues for the development of novel diagnostic tools and therapies for patients with cervical cancer. miR-144 is located on chromosome 17q11.2 of the human genome, which has been reported to be downregulated in esophageal squamous cell cancer (28), laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (29), lung cancer (30) and bladder cancer (31). The present study assessed the expression levels of miR-144 in cervical cancer tissues and their matched normal cervical tissues to determine the effects of miR-144 on the malignant progression of cervical cancer.…”

MiR-543 Promotes Migration, Invasion and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Esophageal Cancer Cells by Targeting Phospholipase A2 Group IVA

“…Many studies have confirmed that miRNAs can regulate the stability and translation of their target mRNAs by attaching to the 3'UTR of the target [6]. In addition, it has been proven that these miRNAs, including miR-21, miR-138, miR-223 and miR-92a, regulate ESCC development through the regulation of the expression of their target genes, such as PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog), FBXW7 (F-box and WD repeat domain containing 7) and PDCD4 (programmed cell death 4) [8]. In this study, we used a luciferase reporter assay to demonstrate that miR-543 was capable of directly targeting the 3'-UTR of PLA2G4A, and the results showed that PLA2G4A is a target of miR-543.…”

“…Several studies have identified by there are many kinds of miRNAs with variable expression in human tumor tissues [7]. As we know from other studies, some miRNAs act as tumor facilitators, whereas others act as inhibitors [8]. Although these two types of miRNAs lead to different results, they both play decisive roles in various aspects of the progression of carcinogenesis, including invasion and migration [3,9].…”