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miR-125-5p inhibits thyroid cancer growth and metastasis by suppressing the ERK/PI3K/AKT signal pathway

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Abstract

Background

Thyroid cancer is one of the most common endocrine malignant tumors. The study has found that microRNA-125-5p (miR-125-5p) is regarded as a key regulator of gene expression and involved in cancer cell growth by affecting the miRNA-mediated signal pathway. It is crucial to understand the potential mechanism of miR-125-5p in regulating thyroid tumor cell proliferation and metastasis.

Objective

To investigate biological functions of miR-125-5p in thyroid cancer growth and metastasis and explored potential mechanism mediated by miR-125-5p in thyroid cancer cells.

Methods

Western blot, gene transfection, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry were used to analyze the regulatory effects of miR-125-5p in thyroid cancer cells.

Result

Results observed that miR-125-5p expression was down-regulated in thyroid cancer tissue compared to adjacent normal tissue. miR-125-5p overexpression inhibited thyroid cancer cell growth, migration and invasion. miR-125-5p overexpression arrested thyroid cancer cell cycle at S phase, and significantly induced apoptosis of thyroid cancer cells. miR-125-5p overexpression increased the protein levels of extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK), phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) and phosphoinositide dependent kinase (AKT) while it decreased protein expression of phosphorylated ERK, PI3K and AKT in thyroid cancer cells. In vivo assay demonstrated that miR-125-5p transfection inhibited tumor growth and ERK, PI3K and AKT protein expression in tumor tissues.

Conclusion

In summary, these results indicate that miR-125-5p can inhibit thyroid cancer cell growth, migration and invasion through the ERK/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832000, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China

    Rong Wang

  2. Department of Interventional Vascular, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832000, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China

    Chen Wang

  3. Department of Pathology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832000, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China

    Xian-Jie Meng

  4. Department of Ultrasound, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832000, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China

    Li Wei

Authors
  1. Rong Wang
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  2. Chen Wang
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  3. Xian-Jie Meng
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  4. Li Wei
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Contributions

RW is responsible for the guarantor of integrity of the entire study, study concepts & design, definition of intellectual content, literature research, experimental studies, data acquisition & analysis, statistical analysis, manuscript preparation & review; CW is responsible for the study concepts & design, experimental studies, data analysis, statistical analysis, manuscript review; XJM and LW are responsible for the clinical studies, data acquisition. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Rong Wang.

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Rong Wang, Chen Wang, Xian-Jie Meng and Li Wei declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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The study was approved by The Third Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Shihezi University, China (No. 20-198).

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Wang, R., Wang, C., Meng, XJ. et al. miR-125-5p inhibits thyroid cancer growth and metastasis by suppressing the ERK/PI3K/AKT signal pathway. Mol. Cell. Toxicol. (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13273-021-00175-0

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