miR-1303 promotes the proliferation of neuroblastoma cell SH-SY5Y by targeting GSK3β and SFRP1.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the most common solid tumors in children, many microRNAs regulate progression and development of NB. Here, we found miR-1303 was upregulated in NB cells and tissues, miR-1303 overexpression promoted the proliferation of SH-SY5Y NB cell investigated by MTT assay, colony formation assay and anchorage-independent growth ability assay, while miR-1303 knockdown reduced this effect. mechanism analysis suggested glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β) and secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (SFRP1) were the target of miR-1303, luciferase assay revealed miR-1303 directly bound to the 3'UTR of GSK3β and SFRP1. miR-1303 increased expression of MYC and CyclinD1, and decreased the expression of p21 and p27, and further demonstrated miR-1303 promotes NB proliferation. Moreover, there was a negative correlation between miR-1303 expression and GSK3β and SFRP1 expression in NB tissues, confirming GSK3β and SFRP1 were the targets of miR-1303 in NB tissues. Collectively, our findings suggested miR-1303 promotes NB proliferation by targeting GSK3β and SFRP1, and might be a target for NB therapy.