The aim of the present study was to research the mechanism of action of microRNA-144 (miR-144) in colorectal cancer (CRC) and its role in tumor progression. It was demonstrated that miR-144 was downregulated and anoctamin 1 (ANO1) expression was upregulated in CRC. The expression of ANO1 was negatively associated with that of miR-144 in CRC. The present study indicated that upregulated expression of ANO1 was associated with poor differentiation and advanced tumor-node-metastasis stage. It was verified that upregulation of ANO1 expression activated the epidermal growth factor receptor/extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathway. It was also demonstrated that miR-144 exerts strong tumor-inhibiting effects by targeting ANO1. Therefore, miR-144 may have potential as a prognostic marker or therapeutic target for CRC.

BackgroundCancer metastasis is the major reason for cancer related deaths, and the mechanism of cancer metastasis still unclear. RPLP1, a member of a group of proteins known as ribosomal proteins, is associated with tumorigenesis and primary cell immortalization and is involved in cellular transformation. However, the expression and potential function of RPLP1 in TNBC remain unclear.MethodsThe expression of RPLP1 in TNBC tissues and cell lines were detected with Real-Time PCR and western blotting. 81 cases of TNBC tissue samples and adjacent non-tumor tissue samples were tested by immunochemistry to determine the correlation between the RPLP1 expression and clinicopathological characteristics. In vitro, we determined the role and mechanistic pathways of RPLP1 in tumor metastasis in TNBC cell lines.ResultsIn this study, we detected high levels of RPLP1 expression in TNBC samples and cell lines. RPLP1 is upregulated in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tissues and cells, and high expression levels correlate with an increased risk of recurrence and metastasis. Furthermore, high RPLP1 expression was associated with a poor prognosis and was an independent prognostic marker for TNBC. In RPLP1-induced cancer metastasis, RPLP1 may increase cancer cell invasion, which is likely the result of its effect on the cancer cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition.ConclusionsAltogether, our findings indicate RPLP1 is a poor prognostic potential biomarker and anti-metastasis candidate therapeutic target in triple-negative breast cancer.