MicroRNA-150 Promotes Cervical Cancer by Targeting FOXO4

Dysregulation of microRNA-150 (miR-150) is commonly observed in solid tumor and has been reported to be involved in multiple important biological processes, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis. Elevated miR-150 level was also detected in cervical carcinoma. Reseachers, led by Jun Li of the North Sichuan Medical College and the Chongqing Medical University, now studied its function in cancer.

MiR-150 was found to promote cervical cancer cell survival and growth, while the inhibition of miR-150 suppresses these actions. MiR-150 also induced the cell cycle progression, resulting in an enhancement of growth. Several cell cycle- and apoptosis-related genes including CyclinD1, p27, BIM, and FASL were also modulated by miR-150 by reducing the expression of FOXO4, the regulator of the said genes.

The study demonstrated that elevated miR-150 targets FOXO4 expression and regulates expression of multiple genes, resulting in cervical cancer cell growth and survival.

For more information, read the full article on BMC Molecular Biology.