Factor VII-Induced MicroRNA-135a Inhibits Autophagy and Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Autor: Kuang-Tzu Huang, I-Ying Kuo, Ming-Chao Tsai, Chun-Hsien Wu, Li-Wen Hsu, Li-Yu Chen, Chao-Pin Kung, Yu-Fan Cheng, Shigeru Goto, Yu-Wei Chou, Chao-Long Chen, Chih-Che Lin, Kuang-Den Chen
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2017
Předmět:
Zdroj: Molecular Therapy: Nucleic Acids, Vol 9, Iss C, Pp 274-283 (2017)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2162-2531
DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2017.10.002
Popis: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and aggressive malignancies worldwide. Treatment outcomes remain poor mainly due to lack of good diagnostic/prognostic markers and limited therapeutic strategies. We previously characterized aberrant activation of the TF/FVII/PAR2 pathway, which subsequently results in decreased autophagy, as a crucial event in malignant progression of HCC. Here, we identified miR-135a as a highly upregulated miRNA in HCC in response to TF/FVII/PAR2 activation. Analyzing 103 HCC patient specimens, we confirmed that miR-135a was frequently elevated in HCC tissues with higher FVII expression compared to adjacent non-cancerous counterparts. Increased miR-135a levels in HCC were also associated with tumor staging, recurrence, microvascular invasion, and decreased disease-free survival. We subsequently identified Atg14, a key component that regulates the formation of autophagosome as a direct target of miR-135a. Ectopic expression of miR-135a suppressed Atg14 levels and inhibited the autophagic processes. Our results indicate strong positive correlations between miR-135a levels and malignant behaviors in HCC patients and also suggest novel functions of miR-135a in regulation of autophagy, which could be useful as a potential target for prognostic and therapeutic uses.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals