MicroRNA-200a mediates nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell proliferation through the activation of nuclear factor-κB

Abstract

In nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway is highly active. The constitutive activation of NF-κB prompts malignant cell proliferation, and microRNAs are considered an important mediator in regulating the NF-κB signaling pathway. The current study investigated the effect of microRNA-200a (miR-200a) on NF-κB activation. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify the relative level of miR-200a in NPC tissue samples and CNE2 cells. An MTT assay was used to investigate the effect of miR-200a on cell proliferation. To investigate the activation of NF-κB, western blotting was used to measure the protein levels of NF-κB and its downstream targets. To identify the target genes of miR-200a, a luciferase reporter assay was used. The current study demonstrated that miR-200a was upregulated in NPC tissue samples and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-200a resulted in the proliferation of CNE2 cells. Western blot analysis indicated that the protein levels of p65 increased when CNE2 cells were transfected with miR-200a mimics. Additionally, the downstream targets of miR-200a were upregulated, including vascular cell adhesion molecule, intercellular adhesion molecule and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. The luciferase assay indicated that IκBα was the target gene of miR-200a. In conclusion, miR-200a was demonstrated to enhance NPC cell proliferation by activating the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Role of the NFκB-signaling pathway in cancer

“… 130 However, a number of studies have suggested that the NFκB pathway may upregulate the expression of LCN2 to promote the development of many cancers. 131 , 132 Therefore, the NFκB pathway is diversified in different tumor cells, 133 , 134 and the complex anticancer mechanism of the NFκB pathway is still not clear. Further study is warranted.…”

Role of MicroRNA-141 in the Aging Musculoskeletal System: A Current Overview

“…In addition, Shi et al (2016) revealed that miRNA-200a activates the NF-κB signaling pathway through targeting IκBα, which is a negative regulator of NF-kB. Their particular study was limited to nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells (Shi et al, 2016).…”

“…In addition, Shi et al (2016) revealed that miRNA-200a activates the NF-κB signaling pathway through targeting IκBα, which is a negative regulator of NF-kB. Their particular study was limited to nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells (Shi et al, 2016). It has been previously reported that NF-kB transcription activity was elevated in a number of tissues with aging and that inhibition of NF-kB leads to a delayed age-related pathogenesis {Tilstra et al, 2012 }.…”

MicroRNA-200a inhibits cell growth and metastasis by targeting Foxa2 in hepatocellular carcinoma

“…MicroRNA-200a (miR-200a), a member of the miR-200 family, has been reported to be dysregulated and function as a tumor inhibitor in the pathogenesis of various cancers, such as pancreatic carcinoma11, renal cell carcinoma12, nasopharyngeal carcinoma13, breast cancer14, ovarian cancer15and so on, including HCC. However, the exact role and molecular mechanism of miR-200a in liver cancer have not been elucidated yet.…”