title: Degradation of miR-21 induces apoptosis and inhibits cell proliferation in human hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs, 18-25 nucleotides long and have an important role in post-transcriptional regulation of gene. Several aspects of cellular activities such as cell growth, proliferation and differentiation are regulated by miRNAs. In many cancers and malignancies, up- or downregulation of different miRNAs has been reported. In human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), upregulation of miR-21 has been reported in human in vitro studies. Here, we made an assessment of the effect of miR-21 degradation on viability and apoptosis of HCC cell line (HepG2) using locked nucleic acid (LNA). At different time points (24, 48, 72 h) after LNA-anti-miR-21 transfection, 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay and Annexin/propidium iodide staining were performed. The results show that miR-21 degradation can decrease the viability of cells, mainly by induction of apoptosis and necrosis. These findings suggest that degradation of miR-21 could be used as a novel approach in treatment of HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Najafi
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1538-9034
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharifi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Javadi
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000235:genetics; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000235:genetics; D020871:RNA Stability
chemical_list: C524940:MIRN21 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D009841:Oligonucleotides