miR-373-3p inhibits EMT via regulation of TGFβR2 in choriocarcinoma

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have indicated that early metastasis is a major cause of mortality in patients with choriocarcinoma. However, what determines whether early metastasis of choriocarcinoma has occurred is unknown. The emerging role of miRNA in regulating cancer development and progression has been recognized. MiR-373 has been shown to play pivotal roles in tumorigenesis and metastasis. However, whether miR-373 functions to promote choriocarcinoma metastasis is not clear. The purpose of this study is to determine the function of miR-373-3p in the progression of this cancer. Methods: In this study, we first compared epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related markers, which were inversely correlated with miR-373-3p expression, in trophoblast and choriocarcinoma cell lines. Using PCR and Western blot, upregulation of miR-373-3p was observed to inhibit EMT progression. Similarly, gain- and loss-of-function studies revealed that ectopic miR-373-3p overexpression inhibited the metastasis of choriocarcinoma cells. Results: Our results revealed that miR-373-3p acted as an EMT inhibitor in JEG-3 and JAR cells; this was due to its mediation of the TGF-β signalling pathway, which was responsible for EMT. Bioinformatic analysis demonstrated that miR-373-3p interacted with the 3' untranslated region of TGFβR2 mRNA, and then Western blot and dualluciferase reporter gene assays verified this interaction. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that miR-373-3p upregulation partly accounts for TGFβR2 downregulation and leads to a restraint of EMT and metastasis. MiR-373-3p may therefore serve as a valuable potential target in the treatment of choriocarcinoma.

Polysaccharides Extracted from Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels Relieve the Malignant Characteristics of Glioma Cells through Regulating the MiR-373-3p-Mediated TGF-β/Smad4 Signaling Pathway

“…e findings showed that ASP dose-dependently boosted the miR-373-3p level in glioma cells. MiR-373-3p is a specific miRNA that plays a dual role in different types of cancers [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. miR-373 expression has been shown to be reduced in glioma tissues, which is associated with WHO grade, KPS score, poor overall survival, and progression-free survival [23].…”

“…MiR-373-3p is an oncomiRNA that is upregulated in diverse cancers, for instance, lung adenocarcinoma [15], tongue squamous cell carcinoma [16], testicular germ cell tumor [17], and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma [18]. On the contrary, miR-373-3p can also act as an antioncomiRNA in pancreatic carcinoma [19], choriocarcinoma [20], hepatocellular carcinoma [21], cervical carcinoma [22], and glioma [23][24][25]. Jing et al proved that the miR-373 level is reduced in glioma tissues [23].…”