title: miR-137 suppresses tumor growth of malignant melanoma by targeting aurora kinase A.
abstract: As an oncogene, aurora kinase A (AURKA) is overexpressed in various types of human cancers. However, the expression and roles of AURKA in malignant melanoma are largely unknown. In this study, a miR-137-AURKA axis was revealed to regulate melanoma growth. We found a significant increase in levels of AURKA in melanoma. Both genetic knockdown and pharmacologic inhibition of AURKA decreased tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Further found that miR-137 reduced AURKA expression through interaction with its 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) and that miR-137 was negatively correlated with AURKA expression in melanoma specimens. Overexpression of miR-137 decreased cell proliferation and colony formation in vitro. Notably, re-expression of AURKA significantly rescued miR-137-mediated suppression of cell growth and clonality. In summary, these results reveal that miR-137 functions as a tumor suppressor by targeting AURKA, providing new insights into investigation of therapeutic strategies against malignant melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venereal Disease, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venereal Disease, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Haiping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venereal Disease, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China.
authors.forename: Shi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venereal Disease, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China. Electronic address: zhuwei_2020@163.com.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D064096:Aurora Kinase A / Q000235:genetics*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: C545567:MIRN137 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; C576917:AURKA protein, human; D064096:Aurora Kinase A
keywords: Aurora kinase A; Cell growth; Malignant melanoma; miR-137