Open AccessMiR-448 promotes glycolytic metabolism of gastric cancer by downregulating KDM2B
Author(s) -
Xuehui Hong,
Xu Yang,
Xingfeng Qiu,
Yuekun Zhu,
Xing Feng,
Zhijie Ding,
Shifeng Zhang,
Lifeng Zhong,
Yifan Zhuang,
Chen Su,
Xuemin Hong,
Jun Cai
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
oncotarget
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.373
H-Index - 127
ISSN - 1949-2553
DOI - 10.18632/oncotarget.8020
Subject(s) - medicine , cancer , glycolysis , oncology , cancer research , metabolism
MicroRNAs are critical in various human cancers, including gastric cancer (GC). However, the mechanism underlying the GC development remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that miR-448 is increased in GC samples and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-448 facilitated the proliferation of GC cells by stimulating glycolysis. Mechanistically, we identified KDM2B, a reader for methylated CpGs, as the target of miR-448 that represses glycolysis and promotes oxidative phosphorylation. Overexpression of miR-448 reduced both the mRNA and protein levels of KDM2B, whereas KDM2B re-expression abrogated the miR-448-mediated glycolytic activities. Furthermore, we discovered Myc as a key target of KDM2B that controls metabolic switch in GC. Importantly, a cohort of 81 GC tissues revealed that miR-448 level closely associated with a battery of glycolytic genes, in which KDM2B showed the strongest anti-correlation coefficient. In addition, enhanced miR-448 level was significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes of GC patients. Hence, we identified a previously unappreciated mechanism by which miR-448 orchestrate epigenetic, transcriptional and metabolic networks to promote GC progression, suggesting the possibility of therapeutic intervention against cancer metabolic pathways.