OncoTargets and Therapy (May 2020)
MiR-181c-5p Mitigates Tumorigenesis in Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma via Targeting Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3β Interaction Protein (GSKIP)
Abstract
Niuniu Li,1,* Chun Cheng,2,* Tieyan Wang3 1Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Shiyan, Taihe Hospital of Hubei Province, Shiyan, Hubei 442000, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pediatrics, Huangshi Central Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei Polytechnic University, Edong Healthcare Group, Huangshi, Hubei 435000, People’s Republic of China; 3Clinical Pathology Department of Shiyan, Taihe Hospital of Hubei Province, Shiyan, Hubei 442000, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Tieyan Wang Email [email protected]: Cervical cancer (CC) is a highly prevalent cancer and one of the main causes of death among women worldwide. The miR-181 family has turned out to be associated with tumorigenesis in a variety of tumors by regulating the expression of tumor-related genes. However, the mechanisms and biological function of miR-181c-5p in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) have not been well elucidated.Materials and Methods: SiHa cell lines with specific gene overexpression vectors were constructed. Targetscan was used to predict the binding site of miR-181c-5p and GSKIP. MTT assay was used to detect the clone formation rate. Flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis rate and to separate the cell markers. The Transwell test was used to detect cell invasion. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect protein expression in tumor tissues. Western Blotting was used to detect the expression levels of related proteins.Results: GSKIP was predicted to be the target gene of miR-181c-5p in cervical SCC. MiR-181c-5p overexpression suppressed SiHa cells proliferation and promoted apoptosis; the protein expressions of Ki67 and PCNA were decreased, but the expressions of Caspase-3 and Bax/Bcl-2 were increased. The overexpression of miR-181c-5p inhibited the stem-like properties of SiHa cells; the expressions of SOX2, OCT4 and CD44 were decreased. Furthermore, miR-181c-5p upregulation limited the invasion of SiHa cells; the expression of E-cadherin was higher, but the expressions of N-cadherin and Vimentin were lower. MiR-181c-5p overexpression inhibited tumorigenesis in cervical SCC tissues; the expressions of Ki67, Caspase-3, CD44 and Vimentin in vivo were consistent with those in vitro.Conclusion: Taken together, miR-181c-5p was able to mitigate the cancer cell characteristic and invasive properties of cervical SCC through targeting GSKIP gene.Keywords: apoptosis, cancer stem cell, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, kinase 3β interaction protein, miR-181c-5p
