MicroRNA-223 Targeting STIM1 Inhibits the Biological Behavior of Breast Cancer

Abstract

Background/Aims: To investigate the cellular effects and clinical significance of microRNA-223 (miR-223) in breast cancer by targeting stromal interaction molecule1 (STIM1). Methods: Breast cancer cell lines (T47D, MCF-7, SKB-R3, MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435) and a normal breast epithelial cell line (MCF-10A) were prepared for this study. MiR-223 mimics, anti-miR-223 and pcDNA 3.1-STIM1 were transiently transfected into cancer cells independently or together, and then RT-qPCR was performed to detect the expressions of miR-223 and STIM1 mRNA, dual-luciferase reporter assay was conducted to examine the effects of miR-223 on STIM1, Western blotting was used to measure the expressions of the STIM1 proteins, MTT and Trans-well assays were performed to detect cell proliferation and invasion. Finally, the correlation of miR-223 and STIM1 was investigated by detecting with ISH and IHC in breast cancer specimens or the corresponding adjacent normal tissues. Results: Compared with normal cells and tissues, breast cancer tissues and cells exhibited significantly lower expression of miR-223, but higher expression of STIM1. MiR-223 could inhibit the proliferation and invasiveness of breast cancer cells by negatively regulating the expressions of STIM1. Reimplantation with STIM1 partially rescued the miRNA-223-induced inhibition of breast cancer cells. Clinical data revealed that high expression of STIM1 and miR-223 was respectively detrimental and beneficial factor impacting patient’s disease-free survival (DFS) rather than overall survival (OS). Moreover, Pearson correlation analysis also confirmed that STIM1 was inversely correlated with miR-223. Conclusion: MiR-223 inhibits the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer by targeting STIM1. The miR-223/STIM1 axis could possibly be a potential therapeutic target for treating breast cancer patients.