Abstract
Background:Brain glioma is a common primary intracranial tumor with unfavorable prognosis. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) is a small RNA molecule involved in post-transcriptional modulation and is closely associated with cell growth and differentiation. Recent studies have shown that miR-21 expression affects tumor proliferation and growth via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. This study investigated the expression of miR-21 in glioma and its effects on the PI3K/AKT pathway and cell proliferation. Methods: A total of 35 brain glioma patients were recruited from March 2013 to November 2014 at our hospital. In situ hybridization (ISH) and RT-PCR were used to detect the expression of miR-21 in both tumors and adjacent brain tissues. Human brain U251 glioma cells were transfected with anti-miR-21 to suppress miR-21 expression, followed by immunofluorescent assay of PI3K and AKT expression profiles. Flow cytometry was employed to detect the change between different stages of the cell cycle. Results:ISH results showed significantly elevated miR-21 expression level in glioma tissues compared to normal brain tissues. RT-PCR analysis revealed a 3.5-fold increase in miR-21 in the anti-miR-21 transfected glioma cells compared to untransfected cells. After silencing miR-21 in U251 cells, immunofluorescent assay indicated that the expression of PI3K and AKT significantly decreased. Flow cytometry revealed an increased number of cells at G0/G1 phase in anti-miR-21 transfected U251 cells, suggesting suppressed cell division ability. Conclusion:MiR-21 expression was found to be increased in brain glioma tissues, accompanied with over-activation of PI3K/AKT signaling and proliferation of glioma cells
Highlights
Brain glioma is a common primary intracranial tumor with highJournal of Psychiatry and Brain Science 2016,1(1);5; DOI:10.20900/jpbs.20160005; April 25, 2016malignancy [1]
MiR-21 Expression in Glioma and Normal Brain Tissues We performed an In situ hybridization (ISH) study in glioma and normal brain tissues using a miR-21 specific probe. miR-21 was mainly expressed in the cytoplasm, shown as blue-violet granules in ISH (Fig. 1)
The staining intensity was higher in glioma tissues than in normal brain tissues, suggesting a higher expression level of miR-21 in brain glioma cells
Summary
Brain glioma is a common primary intracranial tumor with highJournal of Psychiatry and Brain Science 2016,1(1);; DOI:10.20900/jpbs.20160005; April 25, 2016malignancy [1]. Brain glioma is a common primary intracranial tumor with high. MicroRNA-21 (MiR-21) is involved in modulating multiple biological behaviors including cell growth, division and differentiation [8]. A subsequent study found that the effects of miR-21 on tumor cells are mediated by modulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway [10]. The study investigated the expression of miR-21 in brain glioma cells and its correlation with PI3K/AKT signaling. Brain glioma is a common primary intracranial tumor with unfavorable prognosis. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) is a small RNA molecule involved in post-transcriptional modulation and is closely associated with cell growth and differentiation. Recent studies have shown that miR-21 expression affects tumor proliferation and growth via the PI3K/ AKT signaling pathway. This study investigated the expression of miR-21 in glioma and its effects on the PI3K/AKT pathway and cell proliferation
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