The Interplay Between miR-148a and DNMT1 Might be Exploited for Pancreatic Cancer Therapy.

We discovered the expression level of miR-148a significantly decreased in pancreatic cancer tissues whereas that of DNMT1 increased. In ASPC-1 cancer cells, the overexpression of miR-148a led to a decreased level of DNMT1 and reduced the proliferation and metastasis of ASPC-1 cells. Moreover, the increased expression of miR-148a arrested the UTR methylation of p27, giving rise to an increased level of p27. Interestingly, it was shown that the DNMT1 inhibition enhanced the expression of miR-148a. In vivo studies demonstrated that the tumorigenesis of ASPC-1 was significantly arrested by either the overexpression of miR-148a or the inhibition of DNMT1.