Functional role and epithelial to mesenchymal transition of the miR-590-3p/MDM2 axis in hepatocellular carcinoma

BackgroundThere is considerable evidence that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate several key tumor-associated genes/pathways and may themselves have a dual regulatory function either as tumor suppressors or oncogenic miRNA, depending on the tumor type. MicroRNA-590-3p (miR-590-3p) is a small non-coding RNA involved in the initiation and progression of numerous tumors. However, its expression pattern and biological role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are controversial.ResultsIn the current work, computational and RT-qPCR analysis revealed that HCC tissues and cell lines exhibited miR-590-3p downregulation. Forced expression of miR-590-3p attenuated HepG2 cells proliferation, migration, and repressed EMT-related gene expression. Bioinformatic, RT-qPCR, and luciferase assays revealed that MDM2 is a direct functional target of miR-590-3p. Moreover, the knockdown of MDM2 mimicked the inhibitory effect of miR-590-3p in HepG2 cells.ConclusionWe have identified not only novel targets for miR-590-3p in HCC, but also novel target genes for miR590-3p/MDM2 pathway in HCC like SNAIL, SLUG, ZEB1, ZEB2, and N-cadherin. Furthermore, these findings demonstrate a crucial role for MDM2 in the regulatory mechanism of EMT in HCC.

Automated summary

This study found that miR-590-3p is downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its forced expression can attenuate the proliferation and migration of HepG2 cells and repress the expression of EMT-related genes. The direct functional target of miR-590-3p is identified as MDM2, and the knockdown of MDM2 can mimic the inhibitory effect of miR-590-3p in HepG2 cells.