title: miR-424-5p promotes proliferation of gastric cancer by targeting Smad3 through TGF-β signaling pathway.
abstract: MiRNAs have been reported to regulate gene expression and be associated with cancer progression. Recently, miR-424-5p was reported to play important role in a variety of tumors. However, the role and molecular mechanisms of miR-424-5p in GC (gastric cancer) remains largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of miR-424-5p in GC. QRT-PCR was used to determine the expression levels of miR-424-5p and Smad3. CCK8 assay, plate clone assay and cell cycle assay were used to measure the effects of miR-424-5p on GC cell proliferation. Luciferase reporter assay and western blotting were used to prove that Smad3 was one of the direct targets of miR-424-5p. Tumorigenesis assay was used to investigate the role of miR-424-5p in tumor growth of GC cells in vivo. We found that miR-424-5p was up-regulated in GC tissues and cells. Over-expression of miR-424-5p could promote the proliferation of GC cells. In addition, luciferase reporter assay and western blotting assay revealed that Smad3 was a direct target of miR-424-5p. Over-expression of Smad3 could partially reverse the effects of miR-424-5p on GC cell proliferation. Our study further revealed that miR-424-5p could inhibit TGF-β signaling pathway by Smad3.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Linjun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Zekuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
keywords: Smad3; TGF-β signaling pathway; gastric cancer; miR-424-5p; proliferation