title: MicroRNA-301a promotes migration and invasion by targeting TGFBR2 in human colorectal cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to play crucial roles in regulating a variety of genes pivotal for tumor metastasis. MicroRNA-301a (miR-301a) is overexpressed and displays oncogenic activity in many cancers. However, little is known about the potential roles of miR-301a in colorectal cancer (CRC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Taqman probe stem-loop real-time PCR was used to quantitatively measure the expression level of miR-301a in 48 cases of CRC tissues and the matched adjacent non-tumor mucosa as well as in CRC cell lines. miR-301a mimics and inhibitors were used to up-regulate and down-regulate miR-301a in CRC cells, respectively; lentivirus was used to construct miR-301a stably up- and down-regulated CRC cell lines. Metastasis ability was evaluated by transwell and wound healing assays while invasion was measured by transwell coated with matrix gel in vitro; in vivo metastasis was performed on nude mice model. The target of miR-301a was predicted by TargetScan software and validated by qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, western blot and luciferase reporter gene assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expression of miR-301a was significantly higher in lymph node metastasis positive CRC samples compared with negative ones. Downregulation of miR-301a significantly inhibited the migration and invasion both in vitro and in vivo while forced up-regulation of miR-301a promoted migration and invasion. TGFBR2 was identified to be the downstream target of miR-301a. Knockdown of TGFBR2 in cells treated by miR-301a inhibitor elevated the previously abrogated migration and invasion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicated that miR-301a correlated with the metastatic and invasive ability in human colorectal cancers and miR-301a exerted its role as oncogene by targeting TGFBR2.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. darvid0610@sina.com.|ᅟ, Shanghai Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. darvid0610@sina.com.
authors.forename: Wenpeng
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. woodyhom@yahoo.com.|ᅟ, Shanghai Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. woodyhom@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. nkvincent@163.com.|ᅟ, Shanghai Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. nkvincent@163.com.
authors.forename: Runsen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, ᅟ, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan Province, China. zhaohongchao9037@163.com.
authors.forename: Hongchao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. vincyhu16@hotmail.com.|ᅟ, Shanghai Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. vincyhu16@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. fengbo2022@163.com.|ᅟ, Shanghai Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. fengbo2022@163.com.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. zanglu@yeah.net.|ᅟ, Shanghai Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. zanglu@yeah.net.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zang
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. zmhtiger@yeah.net.|ᅟ, Shanghai Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. zmhtiger@yeah.net.
authors.forename: Minhua
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. mingliang-99@hotmail.com.|ᅟ, Shanghai Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, Shanghai, 200025, P.R. China. mingliang-99@hotmail.com.|Department of General Surgery, Luwan Branch of Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200020, P.R. China. mingliang-99@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Mingliang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000502:physiology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000502:physiology*; D000077294:Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type II; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; C550735:MIRN301A microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D000077294:Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type II