MiR 520b/e Regulates Proliferation and Migration by Simultaneously Targeting EGFR in Gastric Cancer
Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to play a crucial role in tumorigenesis. Previous studies have shown that miR 520b/e acts as a tumor suppressor in several tumors. Other studies indicated that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is highly expressed in many tumors, and involved in the development of tumors, such as cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis and apoptosis. However, the correlation of miRNAs and EGFR in gastric cancer (GC) has not been adequately investigated. Our aim was to explore the relationship. Methods: The expression levels of EGFR and miR 520b/e were examined by RT PCR and Western blot. We also investigated the relationship between EGFR and miR 520b/e in GC cell lines by relevant experiments. Results: In this study, we found that miR 520b/e inhibits the protein expression of EGFR by directly binding with the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) And it was shown that the down regulation of miR 520b/e promotes cell proliferation and migration by negative regulation of the EGFR pathway, while over expression of miR 520b/e inhibits these properties. In addition, the biological function of EGFR in GC cell lines was validated by silencing and over expression assays respectively. Conclusions: Taken together, our results demonstrate that miR 520b/e acts as a tumor suppressor by regulating EGFR in GC, and provide a novel marker and insight for the potential therapeutic target of GC.
Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry