Abstract
Objective: The current study aimed to investigate the functional roles and clinical significance of microRNA-148a (miR-148a) in the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).Methods: Relative expression of miR-148a in OSCC cells and tissues were detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Chi-square test was performed to estimate the relationship between miR-148a expression and clinical characteristics of OSCC patients. Cell transfection was carried out using Lipofectamine® 2000. Biological behaviors of tumor cells were detected using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and transwell assays. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay were used to identify the target genes of miR-148a. Protein expression was detected through Western blot analysis.Results: MiR-148a expression was obviously decreased in OSCC tissues and cells, and such down-regulation was closely correlated with lymph node metastasis (P=0.027) and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage (P=0.001) of OSCC patients. miR-148a overexpression could significantly impair OSCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro (P<0.05 for all). Insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) was a potential target of miR-148a. MiR-148a could inhibit ERK/MAPK signaling pathway through targeting IGF-IR.Conclusion: MiR-148a plays an anti-tumor role in OSCC and inhibits OSCC progression through suppressing ERK/MAPK pathway via targeting IGF-IR.
Highlights
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a frequently diagnosed cancer in oral cavity around the world, especially in men [1]
A total of 110 OSCC patients including 64 males and 46 females were selected in our study, and their mean age was 61.25 +− 10.15 years
According to tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging, 66 patients were classified into stages I–II and 44 cases into stages III–IV
Summary
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a frequently diagnosed cancer in oral cavity around the world, especially in men [1]. OSCC represents a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among the head and neck cancers [2]. Alcohol abuse and human papilloma virus (HPV) infection are conformed as major risk factors for the occurrence of OSCC [3,4]. With the cessation of tobacco smoking, the morbidity of OSCC exhibits a decreased trend [2]. OSCC still presents a great challenge for clinicians, due to its poor prognosis caused by drug resistance, metastasis and recurrence [5]. Comprehending molecular mechanisms underlying the etiology of OSCC could provide potential novel ways to inhibit metastasis and recurrence, improving survival rate
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