title: MiR-203 is downregulated in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and can suppress proliferation and induce apoptosis of tumours.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been recognised to regulate cancer development and progression in carcinogenesis as either oncogenes or tumour suppressor genes. However, whether miR-203 plays a crucial role in human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) remains largely unclear. In the study, we have found that miR-203 expression was significantly lower in LSCC tissues than that in corresponding adjacent non-neoplastic tissues and was negatively correlated with ASAP1 expression level. Lower expression of miR-203 was significantly related to poor differentiation, advanced clinical stages, T3-4 tumour grade, lymph node metastasis and decreased 5-year overall survival. Transfection with miR-203 inhibited proliferation, reduced invasion, induced apoptosis and caused G1 phase cell cycle arrest of Hep-2 cells in vitro, suggesting that miR-203 functioned as a tumour suppressor. We have also tested that over-expression of miR-203 may both suppress the growth of xenograft tumours in mice and downregulate the expressions of ASAP1 in vivo. Furthermore, miR-203 may regulate the expressions of mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker of E-cadherin and cancer stem cells (CSCs) marker of CD44. These findings suggest that miR-203 plays a role as a tumour suppressor in LSCC, likely by regulating ASAP1, probably in relation to EMT and CSCs and may serve as a potential target for therapeutic intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Linli
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Minghua
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jingchun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yanan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000032:analysis; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D015536:Down-Regulation; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D005260:Female; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor / Q000502:physiology*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000032:analysis; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
chemical_list: C117891:ASAP1 protein, human; D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; C497483:CD44 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; C546703:MIRN203 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs