MiR-99a suppresses cell invasion and metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma through targeting <em>HOXA1</em>

Abstract

BackgroundRecent studies reported that miRNAs play important roles in the carcinogenesis and progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Therefore, further studies are warranted to better elucidate the function and mechanism of miRNAs in NPC.MethodsQuantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the miR-99a expression in NPC cell lines and tissue samples. Wound healing, transwell migration and invasion, and lung metastatic colonization assays were performed to determine NPC cell migratory, invasive and metastatic abilities of NPC cells. Luciferase reporter assays, quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to validate the target of miR-99a.ResultsWe found that miR-99a was significantly downregulated in NPC cell lines and tissue samples. Ectopic overexpression of miR-99a significantly inhibited NPC cell migration and invasion in vitro, and suppressed lung macroscopic and microscopic metastatic colonization in vivo. Conversely, silencing of miR-99a significantly promoted the migratory and invasive abilities of NPC cells. Furthermore, HOXA1 was validated as a direct target of miR-99a, and ectopic expression of HOXA1 could rescue the suppressive effect of miR-99a overexpression on NPC cell migration and invasion.ConclusionTogether, these results indicated that miR-99a could inhibit NPC invasion and metastasis by targeting HOXA1, thus providing a novel potential target for miRNA-based treatment for NPC patients in the future.

<p>miR-100 Inhibits Cell Growth and Proliferation by Targeting HOXA1 in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma</p>

“…23,35 It should be noted that HOXA1 can be regulated by several other miRNAs, such as miR-30b, miR-99a, and miR-577, and so on. [36][37][38] More importantly, HOXA1 has been reported as an oncogene in various types of cancers. [39][40][41] In our study, we found that HOXA1 was increased in NPC and it was regulated by miR-100, thereby enriching the understanding of miR-100/ HOXA1 signaling pathway involvement in NPC tumorigenesis and progression.…”

miR-184 Inhibits Tumor Invasion, Migration and Metastasis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma by Targeting Notch2

“…Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common head and neck malignant tumour in the people of South China, particularly in Guangdong Province, Guangxi Province, Hunan Province, Fujian Province, Jiangxi Province, and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region [1]. Radiotherapy is a commonly used method for treating NPC and is combined with chemotherapy to improve patient survival rate [2].…”

Identification of Potential Plasma Biomarkers in Early-stage Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma-derived Exosomes Based on RNA Sequencing&nbsp;

“…In recent years, the role of miRNAs in carcinogenesis and tumor progression has evoked increasing interest in the context of several cancers, such as lung carcinoma [32], colorectal carcinoma [33], and breast carcinoma [34]. In a previous study, miR-99a was found to inhibit metastasis of NPC by targeting the HOXA1 gene [35]. Jiang et al found that EBV miRNA BART2-5p may promote the metastasis of NPC by suppressing the RND3 gene [36].…”