Abstract
BackgroundRecent studies have shown that miR-372 plays important roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. However, results have been conflicting regarding its expression levels and role in HCC.MethodsRT-PCR and in situ hybridization was used to evaluate miR-372 expression in HCC tissues and cell lines. The methylation status of neighboring CpG islands upstream of the miR-372 promoter was analyzed by methylation-specific PCR (MSP). Transfection of miR-372 mimic into HCC cell lines was used to evaluate cellular proliferation and invasion. Prognostic significance was analyzed by the Kaplan–Meier survival method and Cox regression.ResultsmiR-372 was expressed at lower levels in HCC tissues compared with controls and was related to tumor metastasis and poor prognosis. Hypermethylation of miR-372 was detected in HCC cell lines and tissues, and miR-372 expression was restored upon 5-aza-dCyd treatment. Upregulated expression by mir-372 mimic transfection inhibited proliferation and invasion capacity in HCC cells.ConclusionsmiR-372 may play an important role in hepatic carcinogenesis and may serve as a new target or method to detect and treat HCC in the future.
Highlights
Recent studies have shown that miR-372 plays important roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression
Results miR-372 expression in HCC tissues and cell lines RT-PCR showed that the mean expression levels of miR372 were lower in HCC tissues compared with normal tissues (−14.89 ± 2.83 vs. −12.38 ± 2.96, respectively; P
We found that enhancement of the expression level of miR-372 in Huh7 and HCCLM3 cells could significantly inhibit invasion and migration abilities
Summary
Recent studies have shown that miR-372 plays important roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. Results have been conflicting regarding its expression levels and role in HCC. Methods: RT-PCR and in situ hybridization was used to evaluate miR-372 expression in HCC tissues and cell lines. Prognosis of patients with HCC has improved largely owing to the development of effective surgical techniques and diagnostic methods over recent years. Gu [13] reported that miR-372 was expressed at high levels in HCC and may exert a proto-oncogene effect in hepatic carcinogenesis. Our previous study showed opposite results, and demonstrated that mir-372 was expressed in HCC at low levels and plays an anti-oncogene role by negatively controlling its target gene ATAD2 [14]
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