title: MicroRNA-451 regulates activating transcription factor 2 expression and inhibits liver cancer cell migration.
abstract: Accumulating evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) can function as oncogenes or as tumor suppressor genes depending on the tissue type or target. Therefore, clarification of the specific roles of miRNAs is vital for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. In the present study, miR-451 was found to be downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues when compared to that in adjacent tissues. Functional analysis showed that, in vitro, miR-451 inhibited the migration of hepatoma cell lines HepG2 and SK-Hep-1. Further investigation of the molecular mechanisms identified activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) as a target of miR-451. miR-451 inhibited ATF2 expression by binding to the 3'UTR. An in vivo assay revealed a significant negative correlation between miR-451 and ATF2 in liver cancer tissues. According to previous findings reported in the literature, the opposing functions of ATF2 are related to its subcellular localization. In the nucleus, ATF2 displays oncogenic activities in melanoma. In the present study, ATF2 exhibited a higher expression level in the nucleus in tumoral tissues of HCC as detected by immunohistochemistry. In conclusion, in this study, we identified a potential target of miR-451, ATF2, and revealed a novel role of miR-451 in the inhibition of the migratory ability of hepatoma cell lines.
authors: Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, P.R. China.
authors: Guixiang
authors: G
authors: Lv
authors: Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, P.R. China.
authors: Zheng
authors: Z
authors: Hu
authors: Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, P.R. China.
authors: Yi
authors: Y
authors: Tie
authors: Department of Pathology, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100853, P.R. China.
authors: Jingli
authors: J
authors: Du
authors: Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, P.R. China.
authors: Hanjiang
authors: H
authors: Fu
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150086, P.R. China.
authors: Xu
authors: X
authors: Gao
authors: Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, P.R. China.
authors: Xiaofei
authors: X
authors: Zheng
mesh_terms: D051698:Activating Transcription Factor 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics*; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: C497105:ATF2 protein, human; D051698:Activating Transcription Factor 2; C531201:MIRN451 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs