Modulation of K-Ras-dependent lung tumorigenesis by MicroRNA-21.
Cancer Cell 2010;
18:282-93. [PMID:
20832755 PMCID:
PMC2971666 DOI:
10.1016/j.ccr.2010.08.013]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 492] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2010] [Revised: 07/06/2010] [Accepted: 07/30/2010] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world, and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80% of cases. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) expression is increased and predicts poor survival in NSCLC. Although miR-21 function has been studied in vitro with cancer cell lines, the role of miR-21 in tumor development in vivo is unknown. We utilize transgenic mice with loss-of-function and gain-of-function miR-21 alleles combined with a model of NSCLC to determine the role of miR-21 in lung cancer. We show that overexpression of miR-21 enhances tumorigenesis and that genetic deletion of miR-21 partially protects against tumor formation. MiR-21 drives tumorigenesis through inhibition of negative regulators of the Ras/MEK/ERK pathway and inhibition of apoptosis.
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