Post-transcriptional suppression of G protein-coupled receptor 15 (GPR15) by microRNA-1225 inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion of human colorectal cancer cells

The G protein-coupled receptors (GPRs) have been shown to regulate several cancer related processes. The aberrant expression of GPRs has been linked to the development of several cancers. The present study was designed to examine the expression and decipher the role of GPR15 in the development of human colorectal cancer. The results revealed GPR15 to be significantly (P < 0.05) upregulated in colorectal cancer cells. The silencing of GPR15 inhibited the growth of the colorectal cancer cells via induction of apoptosis. Induction of apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells was associated increase in Bax and decrease in Bcl-2 expression. The silencing of GPR-15 also caused a significant (P < 0.05) decline in the migration and invasion of the colorectal cancer cells. Bioinformatic analysis and luciferase assay revealed that the expression of GPR15 to be post-transcriptionally regulated by microRNA-1225 (miR-1225). The expression of miR-1225 was found to significantly (P < 0.05) downregulated in colorectal cancer cells and its overexpression caused suppression of GPR15 and inhibited the proliferation of the colorectal cancer cells. Nonetheless, overexpression of GPR15 could avoid the growth inhibitory effects of miR-1225. The results suggest that the GPR15/miR-1225 axis play an important role in the development of colon rectal cancer and exhibit therapeutic implications for its treatment.

Overexpression of miR-1225 promotes the progression of breast cancer, resulting in poor prognosis

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, with metastasis as the principal cause of mortality. MiR-1225 has been reported to play roles in the progression of various cancers, but its role in breast cancer was unclear. The expression of miR-1225 was investigated in breast cancer tissues and cells by quantitative real-time PCR. The role of miR-1225 in the cell process of OS was analyzed by CCK-8 assay and Transwell assay. The prognostic value of miR-1225 was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression analysis. miR-1225 was significantly upregulated in breast cancer tissues, which was associated with the TNM stage of breast cancer patients. The prognosis of patients with high miR-1225 expression was worse than that of patients with low miR-1225 expression, which indicated that miR-1225 acted as an independent factor for the prognosis of breast cancer. Additionally, the upregulation of miR-1225 promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer, which suggested miR-1225 might be involved in the progression of breast cancer. JAK1 was identified as the direct target of miR-1225, which was also involved in cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer. The overexpression of miR-1225 in breast cancer indicates a poor prognosis of patients and promotes the progression of breast cancer by targeting JAK1. miR-1225 may be a biomarker and therapeutic target for the treatment of breast cancer.

circ_SEPT9, a newly identified circular RNA, promotes oral squamous cell carcinoma progression through miR-1225/PKN2 axis

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) represent a newly discovered class of endogenous non-coding RNAs which are widely expressed and play important roles in disease progression. However, the function of circRNAs in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) still remains largely unknown. In this research, we found that circ_SEPT9 was highly expressed in OSCC cell lines and tumour tissues. Results showed that circ_SEPT9 promoted OSCC proliferation and tumour growth. And, circ_SEPT9 also enhanced the migration and invasion of OSCC cells. Mechanically, we found that circ_SEPT9 acted as a sponge for miR-1225 to rescue PKN2 expression in OSCC cells. Inhibition of circ_SEPT9/miR-1225/PKN2 pathway could effectively block the proliferation and metastasis of OSCC cells. Our study provides strong evidence that circ_SEPT9/miR-1225/PKN2 axis is a promising target for OSCC treatment.

Downregulation of miR-1225-5p is pivotal for proliferation, invasion, and migration of HCC cells through NFκB regulation

Background

As one of the most frequently seen malignancies, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) serves as the second largest contributor to malignancy‐specific mortality worldwide. MicroRNA‐1225‐5p (miR‐1225) exerts an essential impact on the growth and metastasis of many malignancies. However, the contribution of miR‐125 to HCC and the molecular mechanism of cancer cell viability and apoptosis are still unclear. We focused our research on exploring the function and molecular mechanism of miR‐1225 in regulating HCC cell growth, migration, and invasion.

Material

Quantitative PCR data showed that miR‐1225 expression was repressed in HCC cell lines and in the tissues of HCC patients, compared to that in normal human hepatic cells and tissues. Transfection of a miR‐1225 mimic inhibited cell viability and proliferation as indicated by CCK‐8 staining and MTT assay. Transwell invasion, wound healing assay, and Western blotting were performed to assess whether miR‐1225 repressed the metastasis and invasion of HCC cells, and decreased matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) expression. Further bioinformatic prediction and dual‐luciferase reporter assay suggested that miR‐1225 targeted the 3′‐UTR of NFκB p65.

Results

Overexpression of p65 protein counteracted the repressive impact of miR‐1225 on invasion, migration, and proliferation of HCC cells.

Conclusion

This research provided new evidences that miR‐1225 inhibits the viability, migration, and invasion of HCC cells by downregulation of p65.