MicroRNA-361-3p suppresses tumor cell proliferation and metastasis by directly targeting SH2B1 in NSCLC

Lung cancer is the most common malignancies worldwide. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying lung cancer progression are still not completely clear. MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs which occupy a crucial role of cancer metastasis. Accumulating evidence suggests that miR-361 plays important roles in human carcinogenesis. However, its precise biological role remains largely elusive, especially in lung cancer. This study examined the role of miR-361-3p in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

miR-361-3p functions as a novel tumor suppressor in NSCLC and the anti-oncogenic activity may involve its inhibition of the target gene SH2B1. These findings suggest the possibility for miR-361-3p as a therapeutic target in NSCLC.

Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to analyze the expression of miR-361-3p in NSCLC tissue and in compared adjacent non-cancerous tissues. The effect of miR-361-3p on proliferation was evaluated by CCK8 and colony formation assays. The effect of miR-361-3p on migration and invasion was evaluated by transwell assays. Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining were applied to analyze the expression of target proteins and downstream molecule, and the luciferase reporter assay to assess the target genes of miR-361-3p in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

miR-361-3p was significantly decreased in NSCLC tissue and cell lines, and its expression levels were highly correlated with lymph node metastasis (P < 0.01) and TNM stages (P < 0.05). Down-regulation of miR-361-3p promoted cell growth, proliferation, colony formation, invasion and migration in vitro, and promoted proliferation and metastasis in vivo (P < 0.01); whereas up-regulation of miR-361-3p had the contrary effects. The luciferase reporter assay showed that SH2B1 was a direct target gene of miR-361-3p. Enforced expression of miR-361-3p inhibited the expression of SH2B1 significantly and the restoration of SH2B1 expression reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-361-3p on NSCLC cell proliferation and metastasis. Conclusions: miR-361-3p functions as a novel tumor suppressor in NSCLC and the anti-oncogenic activity may involve its inhibition of the target gene SH2B1. These findings suggest the possibility for miR-361-3p as a therapeutic target in NSCLC.