MiR-125b promotes proliferation and migration of type II endometrial carcinoma cells through targeting TP53INP1 tumor suppressor in vitro and in vivo

Abstract Background Our previous studies have identified that miR-125b was overexpressed in type II endometrial carcinoma (EC) cells compared with type I using microRNAs microarray. Although recent studies have shown the important role of miR-125b in several tumors and overexpression of miR-125b in advanced EC, its function in this disease has not yet been defined. In the present study, we tried to confirm the result of microRNAs microarray and further investigated the functions of miR-125b in EC, and tried to find new downstream targets of miR-125b. Methods Differential expression of miR-125b was detected between type II EC cells (KLE, AN3CA) with ER negative and type I EC cells (ishikawa, RL95-2) with ER positive by qRT-PCR and northern blotting. The effects of miR-125b of on proliferation, migration, and target protein expression were evaluated by CCK8 assay, wound healing assay, transwell migration assay, western blotting, and Tumorigenicity assays in nude mice. In addition, luciferase reporter plasmid was constructed to demonstrate the direct target of miR-125b. Results MiR-125b was overexpressed in type II EC cells compared with type I. Exogenous miR-125b expression increased proliferation and migration of ishikawa cells and abrogating expression of miR-125b suppressed proliferation, and migration of AN3CA cells in vitro. In addition, in vivo tumor formation assay confirmed that forced miR-125b expression promoted proliferation potential of ishikawa cells, and tumor suppressor gene Tumor Protein 53-Induced Nuclear Protein 1 (TP53INP1) was identified to be the direct target of miR-125b. Conclusions TP53INP1 was newly identified to be the direct downstream target of miR-125b. MiR-125b, which was overexpressed in type II EC cells compared with type I, contributes to malignancy of type II EC possibly through down-regulating TP53INP1.