microRNA-21 is upregulated in malignant melanoma and influences apoptosis of melanocytic cells.
Overexpression of microRNA-21 (miR-21) has been observed in various cancer types, but little is known about the role of miR-21 in melanoma. In this study, we demonstrate that levels of miR-21 are significantly increased in primary melanoma tissues as compared to benign nevi and in human melanoma cell lines as compared to melanocytic cell preparations. We show that downregulation of miR-21 in melanoma cell lines with high endogenous miR-21 expression induced apoptosis, whereas proliferation was not significantly altered. Upregulation of miR-21 in melanocytes resulted in increased proliferation and decreased apoptosis. However, in the MEWO melanoma cells with low endogenous miR-21 expression, upregulation of miR-21 had no functional effects. These findings indicate a potential pathogenetic role of miR-21 upregulation in a subgroup of melanomas.
Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Skin Cancer Center Hannover, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. satzger.imke@mh-hannover.de
Imke
I
Satzger
Anika
A
Mattern
Uta
U
Kuettler
Dirk
D
Weinspach
Margarete
M
Niebuhr
Alexander
A
Kapp
Ralf
R
Gutzmer
D017209:Apoptosis; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D015536:Down-Regulation; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*; D009508:Nevus, Pigmented / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015854:Up-Regulation
C524940:MIRN21 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs