Open AccessMicroRNA-377 Downregulates Bcl-xL and Increases Apoptosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells
Author(s) -
Hongyan Ge,
Di Zou,
Yingshu Wang,
Hao Jiang,
Liping Wang
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
oncology research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1555-3906
pISSN - 0965-0407
DOI - 10.3727/096504016x14719078133168
Subject(s) - microrna , gene knockdown , downregulation and upregulation , apoptosis , cancer research , hepatocellular carcinoma , cell growth , biology , cell culture , three prime untranslated region , untranslated region , messenger rna , gene , genetics
Aberrantly expressed microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) and their role in cancer development have recently gained more attention. However, the potential role of miRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that miR-377 was markedly downregulated in HCC cell lines and primary human HCC tissues. The decreased expression of miR-377 contributes to the upregulation of Bcl-xL expression by targeting its 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR). Functionally, knockdown of miR-377 noticeably increased HCC cell growth and colony formation and inhibited apoptosis. In contrast, overexpression of miR-377 suppressed cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. This study provides new insights for the use of miR-377 as a potential molecular target in HCC therapy.