miR-331-3p inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis by targeting HER2 through the PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 pathways in colorectal cancer

Zhao,Dongli; Sui,Yanxia; Zheng,Xiaoqiang

doi:10.3892/or.2015.4450

miR-331-3p inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis by targeting HER2 through the PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 pathways in colorectal cancer

Authors:
- Dongli Zhao
- Yanxia Sui
- Xiaoqiang Zheng
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Affiliations: Department of Radiotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China, Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
Published online on: November 26, 2015 https://doi.org/10.3892/or.2015.4450
Pages: 1075-1082

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Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate cell proliferation, apoptosis and carcinogenesis by targeting related mRNAs in different types of cancer. miR-331-3p has been found to regulate the development and progression of various types of cancer cells. However, little research has been conducted on the role of miR-331-3p in colorectal cancer (CRC). The present study aimed to explore the function of miR-331-3p in CRC. We found that miR-331-3p was significantly downregulated in CRC tissues and cells compared to the level in healthy colon tissues and cells. Overexpression of miR-331-3p by transfection with pre‑miR-331-3p inhibited cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis and activated caspase-3. Furthermore, the protein expression level of apoptosis-related protein Bcl-2 was downregulated and Bax was upregulated by pre‑miR‑331-3p. Downregulation of the expression of miR-331-3p by transfection with AS-miR-331-3p had the opposite effect. Moreover, we found that HER2 was overexpressed in the CRC cell lines, and the expression level of HER2 was negatively regulated by miR‑331-3p. Additionally, knockdown of HER2 inhibited cell proliferation and phosphorylation of Akt and ERK1/2 induced by AS-miR-331-3p. Overall, we identified that miR‑331-3p is underexpressed in CRC and contributes to cell growth regulation by targeting HER2 through activating the PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 signaling pathways.

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