Negative Regulation of PTEN by MicroRNA-221 and Its Association with Drug Resistance and Cellular Senescence in Lung Cancer Cells

Abstract EN

Objective.

Chemotherapy is the routine method for treating many cancers, but long-term treatment may result in developing resistance to the drugs.

The aim of this study was to identify whether noncoding RNAs play a role in drug resistance and how they affect drug resistance.

Materials and Methods.

The expression levels of miR-221 in different lung cancer cell lines H226, H1299, and A549 were measured.

H1299 and A549 cell lines were transfected to overexpress and downexpress miR-221, and cell viability and cell senescence were determined.

The PTEN/Akt pathway was then examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis.

Results.

MiR-221 together with proteins MDR1 and ABCG2 was upregulated in Cisplatin-resistant A549 lung cancer cells.

Anti-miR-221 inhibits proliferation and induces senescence in lung cancer cells.

PTEN/Akt pathway axis was identified as a target of drug resistance induced by miR-221.

Conclusion.

Our results revealed that miR-221 is an important regulator for chemotherapy sensitivity and showed miR-221 as a potential target for drug sensitization.