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miR-29c Suppresses the Malignant Phenotype of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells In Vitro by Mediating TPX2 Associated with Immune Infiltration

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Abstract

Background

miR-29-3p, an important tumor suppressor, with inhibitory effects in multiple cancers that have been studied. Its exact molecular function is in HCC, however, still not been explored clearly. The purpose of our study is to make certain how miR-29c-3p affects HCC through TPX2.

Materials and Methods

Expression profile data of miR-29c-3p and TPX2 were acquired and downloaded from the TCGA database, and the respective differential expression was verified by qPCR and immunohistochemistry. The StarBase and dual luciferase reporter confirmed TPX2 targeting miR-29c-3p. Their effects on the biological functions of Hep3B and HepG2 were investigated by cellular assays.

Results

miR-29-3p was found to be significantly down-regulated in HCC, and the miR-29-3p low expression group had a poor prognosis. Overexpression of miR-29-3p was detrimental to invasion and migration ability of HCC cells and promoted their apoptosis. We identified miR-29c-3p targeting TPX2 by predictive analysis. TPX2 was significantly upregulated in HCC, and patients with high TPX2 expression had a poor prognosis. TPX2 knockdown partially counteracted the promoting effect of miR-29-3p inhibition on hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and its effect on hepatocellular carcinoma cell biology was similar to miR-29c-3p overexpression.

Conclusion

miR-29c, a key gene regulating HCC, is lowly expressed in HCC, its overexpression can remarkably inhibit the biological function of tumor cells. miR-29c can perform this function by regulating the expression of TPX2.

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Funding

Funding were provided by Anhui Key Research and Development Program Project (Grant No.: 202104j07020005) and Hefei Key Common Technology R&D and Engineering of Major Scientific and Technological Achievements Project (Grant No.: 2021YL001).

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Author notes

  1. Haibo Wang and Wanjin Chen have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No.218 Jixi Road, Hefei, 230022, Anhui, China

    Haibo Wang, Wanjin Chen, Yong Qi, Zhiqiang Liu, Qikun Zhang & Wenyong Wu

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, China

    Deng Liu

  3. Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, China

    Yujiao Yi & Juanru Wang

Authors
  1. Haibo Wang
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Correspondence to Wenyong Wu.

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Wang, H., Chen, W., Qi, Y. et al. miR-29c Suppresses the Malignant Phenotype of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells In Vitro by Mediating TPX2 Associated with Immune Infiltration. Dig Dis Sci 68, 1923–1935 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-022-07810-3

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