title: miR-4792 inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition and invasion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by targeting FOXC1.
abstract: Through analysis of a published micro-array-based high-throughput assessment, we discovered that miR-4792 was markedly down-regulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissues. However, little is known about its effect and mechanism involved in NPC development and progression. Here, we reported the role of miR-4792 in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasion in NPC. We identified an inverse correlation between miR-4792 expression level and NPC cell EMT and invasion, and up-regulation of miR-4792 inhibited NPC cell EMT and invasion. Moreover, we identified and validated that FOXC1 was a direct target of miR-4792, and miR-4792 regulated EMT and invasion in NPC by acting directly on the 3'UTR of FOXC1 mRNA. We also performed the animal experiments to explore the anti-tumor effect of miR-4792, and found that overexpression of miR-4792 inhibited the growth of nasopharyngeal tumors in vivo. These findings suggest that miR-4792 functions as a tumor suppressor in NPC development and progression by targeting FOXC1, which could act as a novel potential therapeutic target for NPC treatment, and miR-4792/FOXC1 pathway that we studied might be used for NPC treatment in future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Tongbai Road 195#, Zhengzhou, Henan 450007, PR China. Electronic address: liyspring001@163.com.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiangdong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / Q000235:genetics*; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011485:Protein Binding
chemical_list: C112743:FOXC1 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C574863:MIRN4792 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: Epithelial–mesenchymal transition; FOXC1; Invasion; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; miR-4792