Affiliations: [a] Department of Pediatric Medicine, Yidu Central Hospital of Weifang, Weifang, Shandong, China | [b] Department of Medical Image, Yidu Central Hospital of Weifang, Weifang, Shandong, China | [c] Department of Emergency Surgery, Weifang People’s Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, China | [d] Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
Correspondence:
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Corresponding authors: Feng Li, Department of Emergency Surgery, Weifang People’s Hospital, No. 151, Guangwen Street, Weifang, Shandong 261000, China. Tel./Fax: +86 536 819 2249; E-mail: lifeng12_12@163.com; Yugang Lu, Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 507, Zhengmin Road, Shanghai 200433, China. Tel./Fax: +86 21 6511 5006; E-mail: yuganglu5006@163.com.
Note: [1] The first two authors contributed equally.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: MicroRNA-425-5p (miR-425-5p) has been investigated in some human cancers, but the understanding of its clinical and functional roles in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains poor. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to measure the expression of miR-425-5p in NSCLC samples, assess its prognostic significance in cancer patients, and explore its functional role during tumor progression. METHODS: Expression of miR-425-5p was examined using quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox analysis were conducted to evaluate the prognostic value of miR-425-5p. The effects of miR-425-5p on NSCLC cell proliferation, migration and invasion were assessed using cell experiments. RESULTS: Expression of miR-425-5p was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cells compared with the normal controls (all P< 0.05). The increased miR-425-5p expression was associated with positive lymph node metastasis and TNM advanced stage of the patients (all P< 0.05). The survival curves and Cox analysis indicated that high miR-425-5p was correlated with poor overall survival and acted as an independent prognostic factor in NSCLC patients. Cell experiments suggested that miR-425-5p overexpression could enhance, whereas its reduction could suppress NSCLC cell proliferation, migration and invasion (all P< 0.05). Forhead box J3 (FOXJ3) was proved to be a direct target of miR-425-5p in NSCLC. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of miR-425-5p predicts poor prognosis of NSCLC and promotes cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion by targeting FOXJ3.
Keywords: MiR-425-5p, prognosis, tumor progression, non-small cell lung cancer
