miRNA-877-5p inhibits malignant progression of prostate cancer by directly targeting SSFA2

• Main Authors: Wanchun Wang, Jun Yi, Degang Dong, Wenli Mao, Xuanyu Wang, Zhangren Yan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: PAGEPress Publications 2021-09-01
• Series: European Journal of Histochemistry
• Subjects: prostate cancer; miR-877-5p; proliferation; migration; invasion
• Online Access: https://www.ejh.it/index.php/ejh/article/view/3243
• ISSN: 1121-760X; 2038-8306

In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of miR-877-5p in the malignant phenotypes of prostate cancer (PCa) cells and its underlying mechanism. RT-qPCR analysis was performed to examine the expression of miR-877-5p and sperm-specific antigen 2 (SSFA2) in PCa tissues and cells. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, 5-ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, flow cytometry, wound-healing assay, and Transwell invasion assay were performed to determine the functional roles of miR-877-5p in PCa cells. The association of miR-877-5p with SSFA2 was determined by luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. In this study, we found that the expression level of miR-877-5p was decreased in PCa tissues and cells. Functionally, overexpression of miR-877-5p exerted tumor suppressor properties in PCa cells. Mechanistically, SSFA2 was identified as a target gene of miR-877-5p, while overexpression of SSFA2 could abrogate the anti-tumor effects of miR-877-5p in PCa cells. These findings demonstrated that miR-877-5p/SSFA2 axis functioned as a potential target for PCa treatment.