miR-34a inhibits pancreatic cancer progression through Snail1-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the Notch signaling pathway

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and Notch signaling are important for the growth and invasion of pancreatic cancer, which is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. miR-34a has been shown to play pivotal roles in the progression of several types of cancer. However, little is known about the regulatory mechanisms of miR-34a in pancreatic cancer processes. The aim of this study was to determine whether miR-34a has negative effects on pancreatic cancer and whether these effects are related to EMT and Notch signaling. In vitro, we demonstrated that miR-34a inhibited, while miR-34a inhibitors enhanced, migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cell lines (PANC-1 and SW-1990). These effects were reversed by Snail1 overexpression or Snail1 shRNA. Furthermore, the anti-apoptotic effects of the miR-34a inhibitors in pancreatic cancer cells were abrogated by Notch1 shRNA. Luciferase reporter assays revealed that the Snail1 and Notch1 genes were direct targets of miR-34a. In vivo, we also demonstrated that miR-34a inhibited pancreatic cancer growth by decreasing Snail1 and Notch1 expression. Therefore, our results indicate that miR-34a inhibits pancreatic cancer progression by post-transcriptionally regulating Snail1 and Notch1 expression.