miR-202 Suppresses Cell Proliferation by Targeting FOXR2 in Endometrial Adenocarcinoma

Abstract EN

Background.

MicroRNA-202 (miR-202) has been reported to be aberrantly regulated in several cancers.

The aim of this study is to explore the functional role of miR-202 in EAC tumor growth.

Material and Methods.

miR-202 expression was detected by qRT-PCR.

TargetScan and luciferase reporter assay were used to elucidate the candidate target gene of miR-202.

The FOXR2 protein level was assessed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry.

Survival analysis was explored for FOXR2 expression in EAC patients.

Results.

miR-202 expression was significantly decreased in EAC tissues (P<0.01) compared with that in control tissues.

And the downregulate miR-202 was significantly associated with poor prognosis (P<0.01).

Re-expression of miR-202 dramatically suppressed cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo.

FOXR2 was identified as a direct target of miR-202.

In EAC tissues, FOXR2 was upregulated and the increased FOXR2 was significantly associated with poor prognosis.

In miR-202-transfected cells, the FOXR2 expression was inversely changed.

The analysis of FOXR2 protein expression and miR-202 transcription in EAC tissues showed negative correlation (R=−0.429).

Conclusion.

miR-202 may function as a tumor suppressor in EAC tumor growth by targeting FOXR2 oncogene, which may provide new insights into the molecular mechanism and new targets for treatment of EAC.