[Retracted] Downregulation of let­7b promotes COL1A1 and COL1A2 expression in dermis and skin fibroblasts during heat wound repair.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editor's attention by a concerned reader that the western blotting data shown in Figs. 4B and 5 and the H&E immunostaining data shown in Fig 1A were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in other articles written by different authors at different research institutes that had either already been published, or were submitted for publication at around the same time.  Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already been published prior to its submission to Molecular Medicine Reports, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. The authors were asked for an explanation to account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office did not receive a reply. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Molecular Medicine Reports 13: 2683-2688, 2016; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2016.4877].

miR-199a-5p induces cell invasion by suppressing E-cadherin expression in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

A growing quantity of evidence exists to suggest that microRNAs are significant regulators of multiple cellular processes. When expressed aberrantly in different types of cancer, including cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), they play key roles in tumorigenesis and progression. The aberrant expression of miR-199a-5p has been observed to contribute to carcinogenesis in various types of cancer. However, the role of miR-199a-5p in the progression of cSCC metastasis remains largely unknown. In this study, we determined that miR-199a-5p was the upstream regulator of CDH1 (E-cadherin) and that it could suppress the expression of E-cadherin in cSCC cells. In addition, miR-199a-5p mimics significantly induced cell invasion and the activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2 and MMP9 in cSCC cells. In conclusion, these results are likely to aid in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of cSCC progression. In addition, the findings provide a new theoretical basis to further investigate miR-199a-5p as a potential biomarker and a promising approach in cSCC treatment.

Downregulation of let-7b promotes COL1A1 and COL1A2 expression in dermis and skin fibroblasts during heat wound repair.

MicroRNAs (miRs), a class of non­coding RNAs 18­25 nucleotides in length, generally serve suppressive role in the regulation of gene expression via directly binding to the 3'­untranslated region (UTR) of their target mRNA. Previous studies have identified several miRs to be involved in thermal injury repair. However, the role of miR let­7b during the recovery of thermal injury, in addition to the underlying mechanisms, has not previously been studied. In the present study, the expression of let­7b was observed to be significantly increased in skin tissue shortly following thermal injury, however, gradually reduced during the recovery of thermal injury. Notably, similar findings were observed in heat­denatured skin fibroblasts. Furthermore, collagen, type I, alpha 1 (COL1A1) and collagen, type I, alpha 2 (COL1A2), which are associated with the synthesis of type I collagen, were identified as two targets of let­7b in skin fibroblasts. The overexpression of let­7b was observed to upregulate the protein expression levels of COL1A1 and COL1A2, while knockdown of let­7b reduced the levels of COL1A1 and COL1A2 in skin fibroblasts. Furthermore, COL1A1 and COL1A2 were significantly downregulated shortly following thermal injury, while gradually upregulated during healing, in heat­damaged skin tissue and skin fibroblasts, with the expression profiles opposite to that of let­7b. Taken together, this suggests that the downregulation of let­7b in heat­damaged dermis promotes the synthesis of type I collagen and thus aids in burn wound repair.

MiR-199a inhibits the ability of proliferation and migration by regulating CD44-Ezrin signaling in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), the second most common form of human cancer, is an epithelial skin tumor, which can result in metastasis with lethal consequences accounting for about 20% of all skin cancer-related deaths. The metastasis is the main reason for cSCC-related deaths with an overall 5-year survival rate < 30% in cases that spread systemically. The role of miRNAs has been involved in SCC of different origins. Recent data have revealed that the expression of miRNA-199a was changed in many human cancers. In this study, we found that miR-199a was significantly decreased in cSCC tissues, which had an inverse relationship with CD44. MiR-199a specifically regulated the expression of CD44 at mRNA and protein levels, and the interaction between CD44 and Ezrin in cSCC cells. Moreover, the suppressive role of miR-199a in cell migration in cSCC cells was also associated with the activity of MMP2 and MMP9. Taken together, our data indicated that increased expression of endogenous mature miR-199a might prevent the growth and migration of human cSCC via decreasing the expression of CD44 and regulating the interaction between CD44 and Ezrin, which may provide a potentially important therapeutic target for human cSCC.

Giant neurofibroma in the right lower limb of a 26-year-old woman: report of a case.

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a genetically inherited, autosomal-dominant disease with an incidence of 1 in 3000 live births. There are two types of NF, NF 1 and NF 2, and NF 1 is the most common. This study reports on the diagnosis, treatment, and related family medical history of a rare case with NF-1 in the right lower limb.