miR-346 Promotes HCC Progression by Suppressing Breast Cancer Metastasis Suppressor 1 Expression

• Published in: Oncology research Vol. 26; no. 7; pp. 1073 - 1081
• Main Authors: Guo, Zhixian, Li, Jingjing, Sun, Jihong, Sun, Lu, Zhou, Yubing, Yu, Zujiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elmsford, NY Cognizant Communication Corporation 23.08.2018
• Subjects: Apoptosis; Biomarkers, Tumor - genetics; Biomarkers, Tumor - metabolism; Breast Cancer Metastasis Suppressor 1 (brms1); Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - genetics; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - metabolism; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - secondary; Case-Control Studies; Cell Movement; Cell Proliferation; Follow-Up Studies; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Hepatocellular Carcinoma (hcc); Humans; Liver Neoplasms - genetics; Liver Neoplasms - metabolism; Liver Neoplasms - pathology; Microrna-346; MicroRNAs - genetics; Migration and invasion; Prognosis; Proliferation; Repressor Proteins - genetics; Repressor Proteins - metabolism; Survival Rate; Tumor Cells, Cultured
• ISSN: 0965-0407; 1555-3906
• DOI: 10.3727/096504017X15145088802439

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. MicroRNA (miRNA), a class of noncoding single-stranded RNA molecules, is involved in regulating cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. We showed that the expression of miR-346 was significantly increased in HCC tissues and cell lines, compared with noncancerous controls, and was associated with poor prognosis. Overexpression of miR-346 promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells, while knockdown of miR-346 significantly suppressed proliferation and induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells. Then we identified breast cancer metastasis suppressor 1 (BRMS1) as a direct target of miR-346 based on luciferase reporter assays. There was a negative correlation between miR-346 and BRMS1 expression at both the protein and mRNA levels. Furthermore, inhibition of BRMS1 expression reversed the tumor-suppression effects of miR-346 downregulation in HepG2 cells. These results indicate that miR-346 promotes HCC progression by regulating BRMS1 expression.