title: MiR-124 inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion by directly targeting SOX9 in lung adenocarcinoma.
abstract: Accumulating evidence indicates that dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) may contribute to the initiation and progression of cancer. However, the role of miR-124 in lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) and the underlying mechanisms through which miR-124 exerts its functions are not completely understood. In the present study, we detected miR-124 and SOX9 expression in lung ADC tissues. The results showed that miR-124 was significantly downregulated in the lung ADC tissues compared with that noted in the corresponding non-cancerous lung tissues and the level of SOX9 protein was inversely associated with the expression of miR-124. The study in human lung ADC cell line A549 demonstrated that upregulation of miR-124 could inhibit cell proliferation, migration and invasion. The bioinformatic analysis showed that there was a putative miR-124 binding site in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of SOX9. Using a luciferase reporter assay, we verified that SOX9 is a direct target of miR-124. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-124 repressed SOX9 expression, whereas inhibition of miR-124 increased expression of SOX9 in the A549 cells. Finally, we identified that SOX9 was a functional mediator of miR-124 in A549 cells. Taken together, our results suggest that miR-124 functions as a tumor suppressor in lung ADC by directly targeting SOX9 and it may be a promising candidate for miR‑based therapy against lung ADC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250033, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaoying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Provincial Key Laboratory of Radio-Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Jinan, Shandong 250117, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yanli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250033, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250033, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jingyan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250033, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Guoxin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250033, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lulu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250033, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Chengjun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000072283:A549 Cells; D000230:Adenocarcinoma; D000077192:Adenocarcinoma of Lung; D001483:Base Sequence; D002465:Cell Movement; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D015536:Down-Regulation; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000502:physiology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D034622:RNA Interference; D055758:SOX9 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C509207:MIRN124 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D055758:SOX9 Transcription Factor; C527932:SOX9 protein, human