Open Access

ARTICLE

MicroRNA-342 Prohibits Proliferation and Invasion of Melanoma Cells by Directly Targeting Zinc-Finger E-Box-Binding Homeobox 1

Quan Shi^*†, Qi He^*, Jing Wei^*

* Department of Dermatology, Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China
† Department of Dermatology, Hubei Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China

Oncology Research 2018, 26(9), 1447-1455. https://doi.org/10.3727/096504018X15193823766141

Abstract

As documented in numerous studies, microRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in various biological processes associated with melanoma occurrence and development. In this study, we found that miRNA-342 (miR-342) was significantly downregulated in melanoma tissues and cell lines. Additionally, the ectopic expression of miR-342 prohibited the cell proliferation and invasion of melanoma. Moreover, zinc-finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) was identified as a direct target gene of miR-342 in melanoma. Similar with the results induced by miR-342 overexpression, ZEB1 knockdown attenuated cell proliferation and invasion in melanoma. Furthermore, the restoration of ZEB1 expression reversed the suppressive effects of miR-342 on the proliferation and invasion of melanoma cells. These findings suggest that miR-342 may play tumor-suppressing roles in melanoma, at least partially, by directly inhibiting ZEB1 expression. Therefore, miR-342 may be developed as a potential candidate for the treatment of patients with this aggressive type of cancer.

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