Abstract:
Objective miRNA can post-transcriptionally regulate the expression of target genes and act as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes in tumorigenesis. Emerging evidence demonstrates that the miR-30 family may perform an important function in human cancers and can regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition, which has a critical role in cancer stem cells. This research was conducted to identify the possible association between the miR-30 family and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods The expression of miR-30c, miR-30b, and miR-30e in 93 tumor tissues and adjacent tissues were measured by real-time reverse transcription PCR. Furthermore, 121 tumor tissues from an independent cohort were selected to measure the expression level of miR-30 family and CD90 by immunohistochemistry. The relationship between miR-30 family and CD90 protein expression was analyzed.
Results The expression levels of miR-30c (P < 0.001), miR-30b (P=0.004), and miR-30e (P < 0.001) were significantly decreased in tumor tissues compared with adjacent tissues, and the expression level of CD90 in tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues (P= 0.007). In addition, the expression levels of miR-30c (P=0.032) and miR-30e (P=0.015) were significantly high in negative staining for CD90 when compared with positive staining for CD90.
Conclusion Taken together, we suggest that the miR-30 family may act as a tumor suppressor in HCC development and may modulate CD90 protein expression.