A growing body of evidence suggests that microRNA-363 (miR-363) plays crucial roles in tumor progression, development and metastasis, and confer resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs in several types of cancers. However, the biological function and underlying molecular mechanism of miR-363 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the biological function and mechanism of miR-363 in the regulation of HCC progression. We found that miR-363 was downregulated in HCC cell lines and tissues, and a low expression level of miR-363 was associated with tumor differentiation, TNM stage and lymph node metastasis. Forced overexpression of miR-363 significantly suppressed HCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and decreased epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro, as well as inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Analysis of the underlying mechanisms revealed that miR-363 regulated E2F transcription factor 3 (E2F3) expression by directly targeting its 3" untranslated region. E2F3 overexpression partially attenuated the tumor-suppressive effects of miR-363 in HCC cells. In addition, E2F3 expression was upregulated in the HCC tissues, and was negatively correlated with the level of miR-363 in human HCC tissues. Taken together, these results revealed that miR-363 is involved in HCC growth and invasion and functions as a tumor suppressor by negatively regulating E2F3.
[1]Jilin Univ, Hosp 1, Dept Hepatopancreatobiliary Surg, Changchun 130021, Jilin, Peoples R China.
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