Upregulation of miR-519 enhances radiosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma trough targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

Abstract

MicroRNA-519 (miR-519) has been previously reported to function as a tumor suppressor in several types of malignancies. This study aimed to probe the biological role of miR-519 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). qRT-PCR was utilized to test the miR-519 expression level in ESCC tissues and cells. Clinical value of miR-519 was investigated by Kaplan-Meier method. Function assays were conducted to determine the role of miR-519 in radioresistance of ESCC cells. The miR-519-regulated pathways were determined by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis. Low expression level of miR-519 was closely correlated with the poor prognosis for overall survival of ESCC patients or patients who received radiotherapy. Functional assays indicated that upregulation of miR-519 made ESCC cells more sensitive to γ-ray radiation and facilitated ESCC cell apoptosis triggered by irradiation treatment via regulating DNA response. Ectopic expression of miR-519 decreased the level of p-AKT and p-mTOR, thus inactivating PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway after irradiation. These observations elucidated that upregulated miR-519 is closely correlated with the radiosensitivity of ESCC cells, which may contribute to finding a new promising target for improving the efficiency of radiotherapy in patients with ESCC.