Effect of miR-25 on Proliferation of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells through Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the biological role and potential mechanism of miR-25 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
METHODS: The expression of miR-25 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines was detected by qRT-PCR. The effect of inhibition of miR-25 expression on the proliferative activity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line HONE-1 was examined by CCK-8 method. Flow cytometry was used to detect the effect of miR-25 expression inhibition on the apoptosis rate of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line HONE-1. The miRNA target gene prediction site TargetScan predicts the target protein action site of miR-124 and verifies whether miR-25 interacts with the target by luciferase activity assay, qPCR, and Western experiments. The miR-25 inhibitor and target egg gene expression plasmids were cotransfected into HONE-1 cells for rescue experiments to investigate whether miR-25 inhibits proliferation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by target genes. At the same time, qRT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of Wnt/β-catenin pathway key proteins TCF4, c-Myc, and Cyclin D1 in different transfected cells.
RESULTS: miR-25 expression was upregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines. Functional studies showed that inhibition of miR-25 expression significantly inhibited the proliferation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line HONE-1 (p < 0.05). Inhibition of miR-25 expression by flow cytometry significantly promoted apoptosis (p < 0.05). Detection of dual luciferase activity indicated that DKK3 is a direct target site for miR-25. Western blots showed that inhibition of miR-25 significantly upregulated DKK3 mRNA and protein levels. Supplementation with DKK3 significantly attenuated the inhibitory effect of miR-25 on the proliferation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line HONE-1 (p < 0.05). qRT-PCR found that mRNA levels of TCF4, c-Myc, and Cyclin D1 were significantly upregulated in miR-25-transfected cells compared to control transfection. QRT PCR showed that the mRNA and protein levels of Tcf4, c-myc, and Cyclin D1 were significantly upregulated in miR-25 overexpression-transfected cells.
CONCLUSION: Inhibition of miR-25 expression promotes DKK3 gene expression, and inactivation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

1. Introduction

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a kind of head-neck cancer that originates from the nasopharyngeal epithelial cells, which has a high grade of malignancy and a high morbidity rate in southern China, accompanied by risks of early distant metastasis and local invasion [1]. Epstein-Barr virus infection, tumor suppressors, oncogenes, and environmental factors are related to the occurrence of NPC, but the molecular mechanism of its pathogenesis remains to be fully clarified [2]. Although the sensitivity to radiotherapy and good local control can be enhanced with the constant development of chemoradiotherapy, the effectiveness of these treatments needs to be further improved; in particular, the distant metastasis and local recurrence rates stay at high levels [3]. It is reported that 30-40% of NPC patients will have distant metastasis within 4 years, followed by worse prognosis [4]. Metastasis associated with poor prognosis and cancer death is the main cause of recurrence and metastatic behaviors [5]. In addition, the metastatic potential of cancer cells, including NPC cells, can facilitate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), characterized by the loss of epithelial markers, acquisition of mesenchymal markers, and enhanced migration and invasion [6]. Therefore, better understanding the molecular mechanism of the occurrence and development of NPC will benefit the treatment of malignant tumors.

Micro ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) are a kind of endogenous noncoding RNA family with about 22 nucleotides in length, which, according to reports, play dual roles as tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes during the progression of human cancer [7]. Functionally, miRNAs act mainly through directly binding to specific sequences in the target mRNA transcript to inhibit the protein translation. It has been reported that miRNAs are involved in various processes of tumor cells, including proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and invasion [8]. Various studies have shown that miRNAs are involved in the occurrence and development of NPC, including miR-29c, miR-10b, and miR-92a, and their exact role in NPC has been elucidated [9-11]. Therefore, miRNA can be considered as a potential target for the treatment of NPC.

miR-25 is a member of the miR-106b-25 cluster and also includes miR-106b, miR-93, and miR-25 located in intron 13 of the minichromosome maintenance protein 7 (MCM7) gene on chromosome 7q22.1 [12]. Previous studies have reported that miR-25 plays an important role in many biological processes. The expression of miR-25-3p in the plasma of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma is significantly increased compared with that in patients with benign tumors or healthy individuals. Circulating miR-25-3p and miR-451a may be potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma [13]. Moreover, miR-25 is upregulated in ovarian epithelial tissues, gastric cancer, lung adenocarcinoma, and many other tumors, and its expression level is also closely related to the tumor stage and lymph node metastasis [14-15]. Previous studies have shown that [16] miR-25 is overexpressed in the serum of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, but the role of miR-25 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells is still unknown. Therefore, in this article, we mainly explore the biological role of miR-25 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and its underlying mechanism.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Materials

The materials used are as follows: four kinds of human NPC cell lines CNE1, CNE2, CNE-2L2, and HONE-1; human immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cell line NP69 (purchased from Shanghai Cell Bank of Chinese Academy of Sciences); RPMI-1640 medium and fetal bovine serum (FBS) (Hyclone, China); Lipofectamine 2000 (Invitrogen, USA); total RNA extraction kit (Solarbio, Beijing); PrimeScript RT kit and SYBR Premix Ex Taq kit (TaKaRa, Dalian), miR-25 inhibitor and miRNA inhibitor negative control (NC); miR-25 mimics and miR-NC (GenePharma, Suzhou); cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) reagent (Beyotime Biotechnology, Shanghai); apoptosis assay kit (Dojindo, Shanghai), pmirGLO plasmids and dual luciferase assay system (Promega, USA); DKK3 antibody and β-actin antibody (Abcam, USA); quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) instrument (Stratagene, USA); and NovoCyte flow cytometer (ACEA, USA).

2.2. Cell Culture and miRNA Transfection

In the experiment, the cells were cultured in the RPMI-1640 medium containing 10% FBS and 100 U/mL penicillin in a humidified incubator with 5% CO2 at 37°C. The cells in a good growth state were divided into the miR-25 mimic (mimics) group and the control (NC) transfected cells to establish a cell line with miR-25 overexpression. Cells were transfected with miR-25 inhibitor (inhibition) and its control (inhibition-NC) to establish a miR-25 interference cell line and transfected according to the Lipofectamine 2000 transfection procedure. One day before cell transfection, the cells in the logarithmic growth phase were planted on a 24-well plate at 2 × 104 cells/well, and 1640 medium (containing 10% fetal bovine serum) was selected as the medium. When the cells are transfected, the fusion degree is about 55%. After discarding the medium, rinse with PBS solution. After rinsing two times, add 300 μL Opti-MEM medium to each well, and then, place it in a constant temperature incubator to continue incubating. Dilute Lipofectamine 2000 with Opti-MEM medium to make the final volume 5 μL, and let it stand for 10 min at room temperature. Add 1 μL of 20 nM LncRNA and 0.5 plasmid to each well; then, add Opti-MEM medium to make the final volume reach 50 μL, and let it stand for 5 min at room temperature. Compound Lipofectamine 2000 diluent and LncRNA diluent, let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes, add Lipofectamine 2000 and LncRNA compound diluent to each well, and gently shake the 24-well plate to mix. Then, place it in a constant temperature incubator for 5 hours, discard the original medium, and replace it with a complete medium containing serum.

2.3. Total RNA Extraction and qRT-PCR

The total RNA was extracted from cells using the total RNA extraction kit. In the detection of miR-25, RNA was synthesized into cDNA using the PrimeScript RT kit, and qRT-PCR was performed using Stratagene Mx3000P PCR system and SYBR Premix Ex Taq kit. The expression level was normalized relative to the endogenous snRNA U6 control, and GAPDH was used as an internal reference control in the mRNA analysis. The relative expression levels of miRNA and mRNA were calculated using the 2- method. The PCR was repeated for 3 times for each gene, and independent experiments were performed in triplicate. The primers used are as follows: miR-25: F: 5′-CCAAGCTAGTGCAATGGGCTCACAGGAT-3′, R: 5′-GCTCTAGCTGTACCTGAGCTTGGACTCT-3′; internal reference U6: F: 5′-CTCGCTTCGGCAGCACATATACT-3′, R: 5′-ACGCTTCACGAATTTGCGTGT-3′; transcription factor 4 (TCF4): F: 5′-CAAGCACTGCCGACTACAATA-3′, R: 5′-CCAGGCTGATTCATCCCACTG-3′; c-Myc: F: 5′-AATAGAGCTGCTTCGCCTAGA-3′, R: 5′-GAGGTGGTTCATACTGAGCAAG-3′; Cyclin D1: F: 5′-GCTGCGAAGTGGAAACCATC-3′, R: 5′-CCTCCTTCTGCACACATTTGAA-3′; GAPDH: F: 5′-AGCCACATCGCTCAGACAC-3′, R: 5′-GCCCAATACGACCAAATCC-3′.

2.4. Detection of Cell Proliferation Using CCK-8 Assay

The transfected cells were inoculated into a 96-well plate at a density of 2 × 103 cells/well. After culture at 37°C for 24, 48, 72, and 96 h, 10 μL of CCK-8 reagent was added into each well, followed by further incubation at 37°C for 3 h. Finally, the absorbance was measured at a wavelength of 450 nM using a microplate reader.

2.5. Colony Formation Assay

The cells were inoculated into a 6-well plate (200 cells/well), cultured for another 14 d in the incubator, and washed twice with PBS, followed by hematoxylin staining. Finally, the number of colonies containing more than 50 cells was counted under a microscope.

2.6. Detection of Cell Apoptosis and Cycle Using Flow Cytometry

At 24 h after transfection, the cells were digested with trypsin and collected, and apoptosis was detected via Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining using a flow cytometer.

2.7. Western Blotting

The cells were washed twice with PBS, scraped off with a plastic scraper on ice, centrifuged, and collected into a centrifuge tube. The RIPA lysis buffer containing protease inhibitor was added to extract the total protein on ice, and the protein concentration was quantified using the BCA method. After an appropriate amount of loading buffer was added and boiled at high temperature, 40 μg of proteins was taken, separated via 10% SDS-PAGE, transferred onto a PVDF membrane, sealed with 5% skim milk powder for 1 h, and incubated with primary antibodies at 4°C overnight. After the membrane was washed, the proteins were incubated again with the secondary antibodies at room temperature for 1 h, and the membrane was washed again. Finally, the target protein was detected using the ChemiDoc™ XRS developing system (Bio-Rad).

2.8. Luciferase Activity Assay

TargetScan software was used to predict the target genes for miR-25 and identify DKK3. The human DKK3 3′-untranslated region (3′UTR) containing the wild-type (WT) or mutant-type (MUT) miR-25 targeting sequences was cloned into the pmirGLO vectors. Then, the luciferase reporter plasmids containing WT-DKK3 3′UTR or MUT-DKK3 3′UTR were cotransfected into HONE-1 cells with miR-25 mimics or miR-NC. At 48 h after transfection, the cultured cells were collected, and the firefly and Renilla luciferase activities were continuously measured via dual luciferase assay. Three replicate wells were set for each sample.

2.9. Statistical Methods

Multiple experimental data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (x̅±s), and SPSS 19.0 software was used for statistical analysis. The p value was calculated using one-way analysis of variance, and p < 0.05 suggested the statistically significant differences.

3. Results

3.1. Expression of miR-25 Was Upregulated in NPC Cell Lines

To determine the expression level of miR-25 in NPC cell lines, its relative expression was detected via qRT-PCR in four kinds of NPC cell lines CNE1, CNE2, CNE-2L2, and HONE-1 based on the normal human immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cell NP69. As shown in Figure 1, the expression of miR-25 was upregulated in the four kinds of NPC cell lines compared with that in normal human immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cell NP69 (p < 0.05), so it is speculated that the upregulation of miR-25 may be associated with the development of NPC.

Figure 1

Relative expression of miR-25 detected via qRT-PCR in four kinds of NPC cell lines CNE1, CNE2, CNE-2L2, and HONE-1 based on the human immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cell NP69, ∗p < 0.05.

3.2. Effect of Inhibited Expression of miR-25 on Proliferation of NPC HONE-1 Cell Lines

It was found that miR-25 was upregulated most significantly in NPC HONE-1 cell lines, and then, the effect of miR-25 knockdown on cell proliferation was detected. First, the knockdown efficiency of miR-25 was verified using qRT-PCR after transfection with miR-25 inhibitor and miRNA inhibitor NC. As shown in Figure 2(a), the expression of miR-25 in HONE-1 cells significantly declined after transfection with miR-25 inhibitor for 24 h compared with that in NC group (p < 0.05). Then, the effect of inhibited expression of miR-25 on the proliferation of NPC HONE-1 cell lines was determined via CCK-8 assay. As shown in Figure 2(b), the inhibited expression of miR-25 significantly reduced the proliferation rate of HONE-1 cells (p < 0.05).

Figure 2

Effect of inhibited expression of miR-25 on proliferation of NPC HONE-1 cell lines: (a) inhibitory effect on miR-25 verified via qRT-PCR; (b) effect of inhibited expression of miR-25 on proliferation of NPC HONE-1 cell lines detected via CCK-8 assay (∗p < 0.05).

3.3. Effect of Inhibited Expression of miR-25 on Colony Formation Ability of NPC HONE-1 Cell Lines

The effect of inhibited expression of miR-25 on colony formation ability of NPC HONE-1 cell lines was further detected using colony formation assay. The results showed that the inhibited expression of miR-25 could obviously reduce the colony formation ability of HONE-1 cells (p < 0.05) (Figure 3).

Figure 3

Effect of inhibited expression of miR-25 on colony formation ability of NPC HONE-1 cell lines detected using colony formation assay (∗p < 0.05).

3.4. Effect of Inhibited Expression of miR-25 on Apoptosis of NPC HONE-1 Cell Lines

Moreover, the effect of inhibited expression of miR-25 on apoptosis of NPC HONE-1 cell lines was determined via flow cytometry using the apoptosis assay kit. The results revealed that the proportion of apoptotic cells was evidently higher in the miR-25 inhibitor group than that in the NC group (p < 0.05) (Figure 4), suggesting that the inhibited expression of miR-25 promotes apoptosis of HONE-1 cells.

Figure 4

Effect of inhibited expression of miR-25 on apoptosis of NPC HONE-1 cell lines determined via flow cytometry (∗p < 0.05).

3.5. Expression of miR-25 Was Inhibited through Targeting DKK3 3′UTR

To further explore the regulatory mechanism of miR-25 on cell proliferation, the potential target genes for miR-25 were predicted online using the miRNA target gene prediction software TargetScan, and it was found that more than 100 mRNAs were candidates regulated by miR-25. Among them, DKK3 was downregulated most significantly and it is a tumor suppressor in the occurrence of human tumors. To confirm such a finding, DKK3 3′UTR mRNA containing WT miR-25 or MUT miR-25 sequences was cloned into the plasmids containing luciferase reporter gene (Figure 5(a)). Then, the changes in luciferase activity were detected using the dual luciferase reporter system. The results manifested that the overexpression of miR-25 obviously inhibited WT but did not inhibit MUT (Figure 5(b)). In addition, the results of Western blotting showed that the inhibited expression of miR-25 significantly upregulated the mRNA and protein levels of DKK3 (Figures 3(c) and 3(d)). The above findings suggest that the expression of miR-25 declines through directly targeting DKK3 3′UTR.

Figure 5

Expression of miR-25 is inhibited through targeting DKK3 3′UTR: (a) binding sites between miR-25 and DKK3 3′UTR; (b) relative luciferase activity of HONE-1 cells transfected with synthesized miRNA and luciferase activity vectors successfully constructed. (c, d) MRNA and protein expression levels of DKK3 in HONE-1 cells transfected with synthesized miRNA detected via qPCR and Western blotting (∗p < 0.05).

3.6. Upregulation of DKK3 Reduced the Inhibitory Effect of miR-25 on Proliferation

To explore whether the overexpression of DKK3 can reduce the inhibitory effect of miR-25 on proliferation of NPC cells, the pcDNA3.1-DKK3 plasmids or control vectors were transfected into HONE-1 cells. The overexpression effect of DKK3 was determined via Western blotting (Figure 6(a)). The results of CCK-8 assay showed that supplementing DKK3 could obviously weaken the inhibitory effect of miR-25 on the proliferation of NPC HONE-1 cell lines (Figure 6(b)). It can be seen that inhibiting miR-25 suppresses the proliferation of HONE-1 cells partially through targeting DKK3.

Figure 6

Upregulation of DKK3 reduces the inhibitory effect of miR-25 on proliferation: (a) overexpression effect of DKK3 determined via Western blotting; (b) proliferative activity of HONE-1 cells in different groups detected via CCK-8 assay (∗p < 0.05).

3.7. Overexpression of miR-25 Induced the Activation of β-Catenin/TCF4 Signaling Pathway

In order to explore the function of miR-25 in promoting the proliferation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells, miR-25 was overexpressed in HONE-1 cells. We found through qRT-PCR that compared with control transfection, the mRNA and protein levels of TCF4, c-Myc, and Cyclin D1 in cells transfected with overexpressing miR-25 were significantly upregulated (Figure 7).

Figure 7

Overexpression of miR-25 induces the activation of β-catenin/TCF4 signaling pathway (∗p < 0.05).

4. Discussion

In recent years, the role of miRNAs in the formation and growth of tumor has become increasingly prominent. There is increasing evidence that the miRNA dysregulation is often observed in many types of cancer, which plays an important role in the occurrence and development of tumors [7]. miRNAs affect the dynamic balance between antitumor genes and oncogenes through regulating target genes, thereby affecting cancer growth. It has been proved that miR-25 is related to the carcinogenesis of tumors, including non-small-cell lung cancer [17], breast cancer [18], cholangiocarcinoma [16], and gastric cancer [15]. However, the role of miR-25 in the proliferation of NPC remains unclear.

In this study, it was found that the expression of miR-25 was significantly upregulated in NPC cells compared with that in normal human immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. Then, miR-25 was further studied in NPC using the in vitro model. It is hypothesized that the downregulation of miR-25 can inhibit the proliferation of NPC cells, so miR-25 can become a potential therapeutic drug target for NPC. According to the in vitro studies, the inhibited expression of miR-25 could evidently inhibit the cell proliferation and colony formation and promote the apoptosis. To sum up, miR-25 plays a crucial role in tumor proliferation, and its downregulation may help suppress the development of NPC.

Previous experiments have demonstrated that the level of miR-25 is remarkably upregulated in some types of cancer, and it was also confirmed in this study that miR-25 was upregulated in NPC. Liu and Sun [17] found that the upregulation of miR-25 is associated with lymph node metastasis and TNM stage in 113 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Besides, the upregulation of miR-25 is also associated with poor survival of NSCLC patients, which may be used as an independent prognostic factor. It is argued that patients with upregulated miR-25 are prone to lymph node metastasis, so the prognosis is poorer. In addition, Li et al. [19] found that miR-25 is upregulated in the plasma and primary tissues of patients with gastric cancer, and inhibiting miR-25 can significantly weaken the invasion, proliferation, and metastasis of gastric cancer cells in vitro and reduce the ability of distal lung metastasis and peritoneal spread in vivo.

Wnt regulates the cell proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, and migration as well as stem cell self-renewal through β-catenin-dependent (classical) and β-catenin-independent (nonclassical) Wnt signaling pathways [20]. The interaction of dysfunctional Wnt signal transduction, dysregulated carcinogenic pathways, and tumor suppressors may lead to the occurrence and development of different types of human cancers. In this study, DKK3 was inhibited by miR-25 in NPC. Therefore, it is concluded that miR-25 acts as a regulator of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, indicating that the overexpression of miR-25 reduces the DKK3 level and raises the β-catenin level in the nucleus. To determine whether miR-25 can regulate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, qRT-PCR was performed to detect the levels of downstream genes TCF4, c-Myc, and Cyclin D1. The results showed that the overexpression of miR-25 and DKK3 could regulate the expression of the above genes in NPC. The protein level of c-Myc, not only a downstream gene of the Wnt/β-catenin signal transduction pathway but also a cell motility gene, is regulated by miR-25.

In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that the inhibited expression of miR-25 inactivates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway through targeting the DKK3 expression, thereby inhibiting proliferation of NPC cells, which contributes to the understanding of the molecular mechanism of miR-25 in the occurrence and development of NPC, and may provide a theoretical basis for the new treatment strategies for NPC.