miR-135b reverses chemoresistance of non-small cell lung cancer cells by downregulation of FZD1.

BACKGROUND: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) chemoresistance usually limits the clinical efficacy of chemotherapeutic approaches. However, few reports have revealed the regulation of miR-135b and Frizzled-1 (FZD1) involved in NSCLC chemoresistance. METHODS: To identify the mechanism of miR-135b and FZD1 in NSCLC chemoresistance and to observe their biological functions, we detected the expression levels of miR-135b and FZD1 by conducting quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and modified the expressions of miR-135b and FZD1 by transiently transfecting cells with miR-135b mimics or FZD1-siRNA. The 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of FZD1 combined with miR-135b was verified through dual-luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: Compared with that in A549 parental cell lines, the miR-135b expression in drug-resistant lung cancer cell lines (A549/DDP) was decreased and their FZD1 expression was increased. The increased miR-135b expression and silenced FZD1 expression enhanced the sensitivity of resistant cells to cisplatin treatment. The high expression of miR-135b in A549/DDP cells remarkably decreased the mRNA levels of FZD1. FZD1 was further identified as the functional downstream target of miR-135b by directly targeting the 3'-UTR of FZD1. CONCLUSION: The amplification of miR-135b suppressed NSCLC chemoresistance by directly mediating the FZD1 downregulation.

LATS2 as a poor prognostic marker regulates non-small cell lung cancer invasion by modulating MMPs expression.

Large tumor suppressor 2 (LATS2) plays significant roles in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. This study was aimed to analyze the correlation between LATS2 expression and clinicopathologic features and its prognostic significance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). LATS2 expression was examined in 73 NSCLC clinical specimens and 22 normal lung tissues using immunohistochemistry. Low levels of LATS2 protein were inversely associated with the T classification (P=0.001), N classification (P=0.005) and clinical stage (P=0.001) in NSCLC patients. Patients with lower LATS2 expression had a significantly shorter overall survival than patients with high LATS2 expression. Multivariate analysis suggested that low expression of LATS2 was an independent prognostic indicator (P=0.002) for the survival of patients with NSCLC. Furthermore, overexpression of LATS2 resulted in mobility inhibition in NSCLC cell lines A549 and H1299, and reduced protein level of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9. On the contrary, LATS2 siRNA treatment enhanced cell mobility and increased MMP-2 and MMP-9 protein expression level. In conclusion, low expression of LATS2 is a potential unfavorable prognostic factor and promoted cell invasion and migration in NSCLC.

Down-regulation of miR-133a as a poor prognosticator in non-small cell lung cancer.

miR-133a has been demonstrated to play an important role in tumor progression. The aim of present study was to analyze the correlation between miR-133a expression level and clinicopathologic features and its prognostic significance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The expression of miR-133a in 104 pairs of human lung cancer tissues and adjacent normal lung tissues were analyzed by qRT-PCR. Here we show that miR-133a was down-regulated in NSCLC. The levels of miR-133a were negatively correlated with the status of N classification (N0-N1 vs. N2-N3, P=0.000), clinical stage (I-II vs. III-IV, P=0.010) and MMP-14 expression (High vs. Low, P=0.012). The patients with low miR-133a expression had shorter survival time than those with high miR-133a expression. Multivariate analysis indicated that the level of miR-133a expression was an independent prognostic indicator (P=0.012) for the survival of patients with NSCLC. In conclusion, decreased expression of miR-133a might be a potential unfavorable prognostic factor for patients with NSCLC, and further studies would be needed to prove our findings.

[MiR-373-3p Promotes Invasion and Metastasis of Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and metastasis is the major cause of death in lung cancer patients. MiR-373 is closely associated with invasion and metastasis in other tumor cells. This study explored the expression of miR-373-3p in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its effect on the invasive and metastatic capabilities of lung adenocarcinoma cells, as well as their mechanisms of action. METHODS: The expression of miR-373-3p in NSCLC tissues and lung adenocarcinoma cell lines was detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The roles of miR-373-3p in regulating lung adenocarcinoma cell invasion and metastatic properties were analyzed with miR-373-3p mimic/inhibitor-transfected cells via Transwell chamber assay. Matrix metalloproteinase MMP-9 and MMP-14 protein levels were detected by Western blot in lung cancer cells after transfection. RESULTS: MiR-373-3p was upregulated in 51 NSCLC tissues and 5 NSCLC cell lines. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies showed that overexpression of miR-373-3p promoted H1299 cell migration and invasion, which resulted in upregulation of MMP-9 and MMP-14. By contrast, miR-373-3p knockdown inhibited these processes in A549 cells and downregulated the expression of MMP-9 and MMP-14. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that miR-373-3p participated in the invasion and metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma cells, partly by upregulation of MMP-9 and MMP-14.