MicroRNA-15a-5p down-regulation inhibits cervical cancer by targeting TP53INP1 in vitro

X.-Q. Zhao, H. Tang, J. Yang, X.-Y. Gu, S.-M. Wang, Y. Ding

Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, China. dingye012319@163.com

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• Oncology

OBJECTIVE: An increasing number of reports have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital role in the occurrence and development of cancer by acting as tumor inhibitors or oncogenes. The purpose of this research was to explore whether the expression level of microRNA-15a-5p (miR-15a-5p) was related to TP53 regulated inhibitor of apoptosis 1 (TP53INP1) in cervical cancer, and to explore the role of miR-15a-5p in cervical cancer in vitro.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Human cervical cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues were obtained from 30 cervical cancer patients. Firstly, we carried out the quantitative Real Time-PCR (qRT-PCR) assay to evaluate the level of miR-15a-5p in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. The TargetScan and the Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay were used to confirm the relationship between TP53INP1 and miR-15a-5p. Besides, the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and the flow cytometry analysis were performed to detect the effect of miR-15a-5p on cell proliferation and apoptosis in cervical cancer cells.

RESULTS: Our results showed that the expression of miR-15a-5p was enhanced in cervical cancer tissues and cells lines. The data from the Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay demonstrated that TP53INP1 was a direct target of miR-15a-5p. We also found that TP53INP1 was down-regulated in the cervical cancer tissues and cell lines compared with the adjacent normal tissues and normal cervical cells. Besides, the down-regulation of miR-15a-5p depressed cervical cancer cell proliferation and enhanced cell apoptosis. Our results clearly suggested that the down-regulation of TP53INP1 successfully impaired the tumor-inhibition effects of miR-15a-5p inhibitor in cervical cancer cells.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated that miR-15a-5p functioned as a tumor-promoting gene in cervical cancer by directly targeting TP53INP1, indicating that miR-15a-5p might be a potential treatment target for cervical cancer patients.

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