Expression of miR-378 in cervical cancer and its effects on the proliferation and invasion of cancer cells as well as the underlying mechanism / 中国基层医药

ABSTRACT

Objective:To detect the expression of miR-378 in cervical cancer and investigate its effects on the proliferation and invasion of cancer cells as well as the underlying mechanism.Methods:A total of 185 cervical tissue samples of women who received gynecological examination in Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from January 2012 to January 2016 were included in this study. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to determine the expression of miR-378 in cervical tissue and C-33A cells. Western blot assay was performed to detect the expression of different cancer genes ATG12, CCND1 and pRb in C-33A cells. BrdU cell proliferation and Transwell invasion assay were performed to determine cell proliferation and invasion. Target Scan was used to predict and screen miR-378 gene targets and verified by a dual-luciferase reporter assay system.Results:The expression of miR-378 in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) III lesioned tissue and cervical cancer tissue was significantly higher than that in normal cervical tissues ( F = 103.091, t = 9.381, 8.936, both P < 0.05). The expression of miR-378 in cervical cancer tissues with positive lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than that in cervical cancer tissues with negative lymph node metastasis ( t = 1.007, P < 0.01). The overexpression of miR-378 in cervical cancer tissues significantly promoted the migration and invasion of C-33A cells ( t = 5.285, P < 0.05), while low expression of miR-378 in cervical cancer tissues significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of HeLa cells ( t = 2.941, P < 0.05). The overexpression of miR-378 in C-33A cells significantly decreased the expression of ATG12, CCND1and pRb ( t = 1.382, 1.431 and 2.086, all P < 0.05). The low expression of miR-378 in C-33A cells significantly increased the expression of ATG12, CCND1 and pRb ( t = 3.961, 3.062 and 2.894, all P < 0.05). Conclusion:miR-378 can greatly promote the metastasis of cervical cancer cells. ATG12, as a direct target of miR-378, provides new insights into the molecular mechanism underlying cervical cancer pathology and therapeutic target.