title: miR-21 inhibitor suppresses proliferation and migration of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells through down-regulation of BCL2 expression.
abstract: This study is to investigate the expression of miR-21 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells, and the effect of miR-21 in the biological behavior and expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) in NPC cells. Paired NPC and adjacent non-tumor tissues were obtained from 53 patients who underwent primary surgical resection of NPC tissues. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to test whether BCL2 is a direct target of miR-21. Methylthiazolyl blue tetrazolium assay and colony assay were used to evaluate the effect of miR-21 on NPC cell proliferation. Transwell and wound-healing assays were carried out to test the effect of low expression of miR-21 on cancer cell migration and invasion. QRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to measure the levels of mRNA and protein expression, respectively. Tumor tissues showed a positive correlation between the levels of miR-21 and BCL2 protein expression. Cells transfected with miR-21 inhibitor healed slower compared the control (P < 0.05). In addition, cell migration was notably inhibited by the down-regulation of miR-21 in vitro (P < 0.05). The reduction in miR-21 expression showed a remarkable effect on the biological behavior of NPC cell clone formation (P < 0.05). Low expression of miR-21 by transfection with miRNA expression plasmid led to a decrease in BCL2 expression, which was accompanied by reduced migration and proliferation of the cancer cells. Our results demonstrated that miR-21 inhibitor down-regulated BCL2 expression level, suggesting that BCL2 might be a target gene for the initiation and development of NPC cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Guangxi Medical University Nanning, Guangxi Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yumei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Center of Biochemistry Research, University of South China Hengyang, Hunan Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Limei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Guangxi Medical University Nanning, Guangxi Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wenyu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Guangxi Medical University Nanning, Guangxi Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Guangxi Medical University Nanning, Guangxi Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Guangxi Medical University Nanning, Guangxi Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Guangxi Medical University Nanning, Guangxi Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Hesheng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002277:Carcinoma; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: C524940:MIRN21 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
keywords: B-cell lymphoma 2; MicroRNA; miR-21; nasopharyngeal carcinoma