Department of Women's Health Educational System, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
Mol Carcinog. 2014 May;53(5):349-59. doi: 10.1002/mc.21983. Epub 2013 Sep 3.
Type II endometrial carcinoma is an aggressive subtype of endometrial cancer (EC). TWIST1, a helix-loop-helix transcription regulator, is known to induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and promote tumor metastasis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) also serve as important regulators of EMT and metastasis by regulating EMT-related genes. In this study, we sought to explore the role of TWIST1 in inducing EMT in representative type II EC cell lines, and to determine the miRNAs involved in regulating TWIST1 gene expression. Functional analysis suggested that TWIST1 contributes to the EMT phenotypes of EC cells, as evidenced by the acquisition of fibroblast-like properties, enhanced invasiveness, and induction of an EN-switch (downregulation of epithelial marker E-cadherin and upregulation of mesenchymal marker N-cadherin). Conversely, silencing of TWIST1 by siRNA inhibited cell invasion and the mesenchymal phenotype, which was accompanied by a reversion of the EN-switch. We also observed a novel post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism of TWIST1 expression mediated by miR-106b via its direct interaction with TWIST1 mRNAs at the 3'-untranslated region. Our data suggest that TWIST1 is a critical inducer of EMT in invasive EC cells and that miR-106b could suppress EC cell invasion by downregulating TWIST1 expression.
Ⅱ型子宫内膜癌是子宫内膜癌(EC)的一种侵袭性亚型。TWIST1 是一种螺旋环螺旋转录调节因子,已知可诱导上皮间质转化(EMT)并促进肿瘤转移。microRNAs(miRNAs)也可通过调节 EMT 相关基因来作为 EMT 和转移的重要调节因子。在这项研究中,我们试图探索 TWIST1 在诱导代表性Ⅱ型 EC 细胞系 EMT 中的作用,并确定参与调节 TWIST1 基因表达的 miRNAs。功能分析表明 TWIST1 有助于 EC 细胞的 EMT 表型,表现为获得成纤维细胞样特性、增强侵袭性以及诱导 EN 开关(下调上皮标志物 E-钙粘蛋白和上调间充质标志物 N-钙粘蛋白)。相反,siRNA 沉默 TWIST1 抑制细胞侵袭和间充质表型,同时伴随着 EN 开关的逆转。我们还观察到 TWIST1 表达的一种新的转录后调节机制,由 miR-106b 通过其与 TWIST1 mRNAs 在 3'非翻译区的直接相互作用介导。我们的数据表明 TWIST1 是侵袭性 EC 细胞 EMT 的关键诱导因子,miR-106b 可通过下调 TWIST1 表达来抑制 EC 细胞侵袭。