Restoration of miR-330 expression suppresses lung cancer cell viability, proliferation, and migration

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and its incidence is rising around the world. Various studies suggest that miR-330 acts as a tumor-suppressor microRNA (miRNA) in different types of cancers, but precisely how has remained unclear. In this study, we investigate miR-330 expression in lung cancer patient samples, as well as in vitro, by studying how normalization of miR-330 expression affects lung cancer cellular phenotypes such as viability, apoptosis, proliferation, and migration. We establish that low miR-330 expression predicts poor lung cancer prognosis. Stable restoration of reduced miR-330 expression in lung cancer cells reduces cell viability, increases the fraction of apoptotic cells, causes G2/M cell cycle arrest, and inhibits cell migration. These findings are substantiated by increased mRNA and protein expression of markers for apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway, such as caspase 9, and decreased mRNA and protein expression of markers for cell migration, such as vimentin, C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4, and matrix metalloproteinase 9. We showed that reduced miR-330 expression predicts poor lung cancer survival and that stable restoration of miR-330 expression in lung cancer cells has a broad range of tumor-suppressive effects. This indicates that miR-330 is a promising candidate for miRNA replacement therapy for lung cancer patients.