title: MicroRNA-379-5p inhibits tumor invasion and metastasis by targeting FAK/AKT signaling in hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: Some microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and progression. However, the roles and mechanisms of several miRNAs in HCC remain poorly understood. Here, we report that miR-379-5p, which is down-regulated in HCC tissues and cell lines, is associated with advanced TNM stage and metastasis in HCC. The ectopic overexpression of miR-379-5p inhibited HCC cell migration, invasion, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Conversely, miR-379 knockdown increased migration, invasion and EMT in HCC cells. Moreover, miR-379-5p exerted this function by directly targeting focal adhesion kinase (FAK) 3'-UTR and repressing FAK expression, thus leading to suppression of AKT signaling. Furthermore, the tumor suppressive effects of miR-379-5p in HCC cells were reversed by activating AKT signaling or restoring FAK expression. In clinical samples of HCC, miR-379-5p negatively correlated with FAK, which was up-regulated in HCC. Taken together, our findings highlight the important role of miR-379-5p in regulating the EMT and metastasis of HCC by targeting FAK/AKT signaling, suggesting that miR-379-5p may represent a novel potential therapeutic target and prognostic marker for HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Jing-Song
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Second People's Hospital of Liwan District, Guangzhou 510160, China.
authors.forename: Hua-Shu
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Jiong-Qiang
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Shi-Hao
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Jie
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Gao-Fang
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Ju-Tao
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Cong
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Surgical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China. Electronic address: hxiaohui2006@126.com.
authors.forename: Xiao-Hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D051417:Focal Adhesion Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000502:physiology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; C561022:MIRN379 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D051417:Focal Adhesion Kinase 1; C496050:PTK2 protein, human; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
keywords: Focal adhesion kinase; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Invasion; Metastasis; miR-379-5p