MiR-1976 knockdown promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cell properties inducing triple-negative breast cancer metastasis

Cell Death Dis. 2020 Jul 3;11(7):500. doi: 10.1038/s41419-020-2711-x.

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), characterized by high aggression and invasiveness, has a worse prognosis than other subtypes of breast cancer. Establishing a novel animal model is helpful to understand the mechanisms involved in the progress of TNBC metastasis. In a self-established mouse model consisting normal human breast tissues and normal human bone tissues, TNBC cell line SUM-1315 could spontaneously form species-specific bone metastasis. The expression level of miR-1976 in SUM-1315-bo (derived from metastatic bone tumor) was found lower than that in SUM-1315-br (derived from orthotopic breast tumor). MiR-1976 was found to be downregulated in TNBC tissues, and lower expression of miR-1976 was correlated with worse overall survival in a patient cohort obtained from TCGA database. MiR-1976 knockdown promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem cell (CSC) properties in vitro and in vivo. Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit gamma (PIK3CG) was verified as a target gene by sequencing, biotinylated miRNA pull-down, and luciferase reporter assay. Moreover, overexpression and suppression analysis implicated PIK3CG as a mediator of the biological effects of miR-1976. Our study demonstrated that miR-1976 knockdown could promote EMT and CSCs by PIK3CG. These findings may reveal mechanisms of TNBC metastasis, and represent a potential treatment target for patients with TNBC.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement / genetics
  • Class Ib Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase / metabolism
  • Down-Regulation / genetics
  • Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / genetics*
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques*
  • Humans
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • MicroRNAs / genetics*
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / pathology*
  • Prognosis
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / pathology*

Substances

  • MIRN-1976 microRNA, human
  • MicroRNAs
  • Class Ib Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase
  • PIK3CG protein, human