Regulation of Oncogenic Targets by the Tumor-Suppressive <i>miR-139</i> Duplex (<i>miR-139-5p</i> and <i>miR-139-3p</i>) in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

We previously found that both the guide and passenger strands of the miR-139 duplex (miR-139-5p and miR-139-3p, respectively) were downregulated in cancer tissues. Analysis of TCGA datasets revealed that low expression of miR-139-5p (p miR-139-3p (p miR-139-5p and miR-139-3p acted as tumor-suppressive miRNAs in RCC cells. Here, 19 and 22 genes were identified as putative targets of miR-139-5p and miR-139-3p in RCC cells, respectively. Among these genes, high expression of PLXDC1, TET3, PXN, ARHGEF19, ELK1, DCBLD1, IKBKB, and CSF1 significantly predicted shorter survival in RCC patients according to TCGA analyses (p PXN, ARHGEF19, ELK1, and IKBKB, were independent prognostic factors for patient survival (p PXN (paxillin) and investigated its potential oncogenic role in RCC cells. PXN knockdown significantly inhibited cancer cell migration and invasion, possibly by regulating epithelial–mesenchymal transition. Involvement of the miR-139-3p passenger strand in RCC molecular pathogenesis is a new concept. Analyses of tumor-suppressive-miRNA-mediated molecular networks provide important insights into the molecular pathogenesis of RCC.

Keywords

• <i>miR-139-5p</i>
• <i>miR-139-3p</i>
• renal cell carcinoma (RCC)
• microRNA
• tumor suppressor
• paxillin (<i>PXN</i>)