Recent studies have demonstrated that miR-202 is associated with several types of cancer; however, the expression and function of miR-202 have not been investigated in bladder cancer. Here, we analyzed the expression of miR-202 in bladder cancer tissue and adjacent non-cancerous tissues. The effect of miR-202 on proliferation, migration and invasion was evaluated by in-vitro assays. The target gene of miR-202 was assessed by luciferase reporter assay. In this study, miR-202 was found to be significantly downregulated in bladder cancer cell lines and tissues, and was highly correlated with the T classification, N classification, grade, and recurrence. Ectopic expression of miR-202 suppressed cell viability, colony formation, cell migration and invasion in vitro, and inhibited xenograft tumor growth in vivo. Inversely, down-regulation of miR-202 had the contrary effects. The 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was identified as a direct target of miR-202 using luciferase reporter assays, and knockdown of EGFR enhanced miR-202-inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In conclusion, miR-202 suppresses bladder cancer carcinogenesis and progression by targeting EGFR, thereby representing a potential target for miRNA-based therapy for bladder cancer in the future.
Oncology research. 2018 Jan 03 [Epub ahead of print]
Liqing Zhang, Jianjiang Xu, Gaodi Yang, Heng Li, Xiuxia Guo
Department of Urology Surgery, General Hospital of Jinan Military Command, Jinan 250031, Shandong, China., Department of Pharmacy, General Hospital of Jinan Military Command, Jinan 250031, Shandong, China., Department of Medicine, School of Life Science, Jinan University, Jinan, Shandong, China., Department of Gynecology, General Hospital of Jinan Military Command, Jinan 250031, Shandong, China.