lncRNA MEG3 inhibits the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by sponging miR-9-5p to upregulate SOX11

Abstract

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3), a tumor suppressor, is critical for the carcinogenesis and progression of different cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To date, the roles of lncRNA MEG3 in HCC are not well illustrated. Therefore, this study used western blot and qRT-PCR to evaluate the expression of MEG3, miR-9-5p, and Sex determining Region Y-related HMG-box 11 (SOX11) in HCC tissues and cell lines. RNA pull-down and luciferase reporter assay were used to evaluate these molecular interactions. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and flow cytometry detected the viability and apoptosis of HCC cells, respectively. The results showed that MEG3 and SOX11 were poorly expressed but miR-9-5p was highly expressed in HCC. The expression levels of these molecules suggested a negative correlation between MEG3 and miR-9-5p and a positive correlation with SOX11, confirmed by Pearson's correlation analysis and biology experiments. Furthermore, MEG3 could combine with miR-9-5p, and SOX11 was a direct target of miR-9-5p. Moreover, MEG3 over-expression promoted cell apoptosis and growth inhibition in HCC cells through sponging miR-9-5p to up-regulate SOX11. Therefore, the interactions among MEG3, miR-9-5p, and SOX11 might offer a novel insight for understanding HCC pathogeny and provide potential diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for HCC.

RETRACTED: LncRNA RHPN1-AS1 Promotes Cell Proliferation, Migration and Invasion Through Targeting miR-7-5p and Activating PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

“… 23 , 24 For example, lncRNA FAM83H-AS1 is reported to facilitate cell proliferation, migration and invasion in HCC. 25 Liu et al 26 have indicated that lncRNA MEG3 could inhibit cell proliferation and promote cell apoptosis in HCC. A study by Zhang et al 27 has confirmed that lncRNA XIST could promote cell proliferation and migration through targeting PDCD4 in HCC.…”

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Circ-DENND4C up-regulates TCF4 expression to modulate hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and apoptosis via activating Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway

“…CeRNA network is a typical post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism which has been reported in various cancers, including HCC. For example, lncRNA MEG3 represses HCC cell growth via up-regulating SOX11 through sponging miR-9-5p [ 20 ]. LncRNA miat serves as a ceRNA to modulate sirt1 by acting as a miR-22-3p sponge in HCC cellular senescence [ 21 ].…”

<p>Mechanism of the Regulatory Effect of Overexpression of circMTO1 on Proliferation and Apoptosis of Hepatoma Cells via miR-9-5p/NOX4 Axis</p>

“…23 MiR-9-5p is up-regulated in liver cancer tissues, and consistent with this, miR-9-5p is highly expressed in HCC and the miR-9a-5p mimic significantly increased the proliferation of hepatoma cells and inhibited apoptosis. 24 Therefore, miRNAs are also promising biomarkers for the clinical diagnosis of HCC. 24 NOX is a multimeric transmembrane enzyme complex that produces superoxide anions and hydrogen peroxide from molecular oxygen in response to multiple stimuli.…”

“…24 Therefore, miRNAs are also promising biomarkers for the clinical diagnosis of HCC. 24 NOX is a multimeric transmembrane enzyme complex that produces superoxide anions and hydrogen peroxide from molecular oxygen in response to multiple stimuli. The mammalian NOX family includes seven subtypes: NOX1, NOX2, NOX3, NOX4, NOX5, double oxidase 1 and double oxidase 2.…”