The putative tumor suppressor, miR-199a, regulated by Snail, modulates clear cell renal cell carcinoma aggressiveness by repressing ROCK1

• Main Authors: Zhang X, Li P, Ding Z, Wang H, Wang J, Han L, Ding S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2017-12-01
• Series: OncoTargets and Therapy
• Subjects: clear cell renal cell carcinoma; miR-199a; ROCK1; snail
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/the-putative-tumor-suppressor-mir-199a-regulated-by-snail-modulates-cl-peer-reviewed-article-OTT

Xiao Zhang,1 Peng Li,1 Zhen Ding,1 Huili Wang,1 Junye Wang,1 Lei Han,1 Shangwei Ding2 1Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, Shandong, 2Department of Ultrasound, Dongguan People’s Hospital Affiliated to Southern Medical University, Dongguan, Guangdong, China Background: Aberrant expression of miR-199a has been frequently reported in cancer studies; however, its role in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has not been examined in detail. Results: Here, we showed that miR-199a was downregulated in RCC and associated with poor prognostic phenotype. Using luciferase and western blot assays we identified that Rho-associated coiled coil-containing protein kinases 1 (ROCK1) was a direct target gene for miR-199a. miR-199a regulated proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) cells by modulating ROCK1 expression. Interestingly, we also found that miR-199a was modulated by snail in ccRCC cells. Snail elevated ROCK1 expression by repressing miR-199a activity. Conclusion: Altogether, our results identify a crucial tumor suppressive role of miR-199a in the progression of ccRCC and suggest that miR-199a might be an anticancer therapeutic target for ccRCC patients. Keywords: clear cell renal cell carcinoma, miR-199a, ROCK1, Snail, A498