MicroRNA-384 Inhibits the Progression of Papillary Thyroid Cancer by Targeting PRKACB

Abstract EN

Background.

Growing evidence shows that dysregulation of miRNAs plays a significant role in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) tumorigenesis and development.

The abnormal expression of miR-384 has been acknowledged in the proliferation or metastasis of some cancers.

However, the function and the underlying mechanism of miR-384 in PTC progression remain largely unknown.

Methods.

Real-time PCR was conducted to detect miR-384 expression in 58 cases of PTC and their adjacent noncancerous tissues.

MTT, soft agar assay Transwell assay, and wound-healing assay were carried out to explore the biological function of miR-384 in PTC cell lines of BCPAP and K1.

Bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assay, western blot, and functional complementation analysis were conducted to explore the target gene of miR-384.

Moreover, Spearman’s correlation analysis was conducted to reveal the correlation between miR-384 and PRKACB mRNA in PTC.

Results.

The expression of miR-384 decreased obviously in PTC, especially in the tumors with lymph node metastasis or larger tumor size.

The ectopic upregulation of miR-384 significantly suppressed PTC progression, and the inhibition of miR-384 had the opposite effects.

Moreover, PRKACB gene was confirmed as the target of miR-384.

Conclusion.

The study suggests that miR-384 serves as a tumor suppressor in PTC progression by directly targeting the 3′-UTR of PRKACB gene.