INTRODUCTION

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common malignancies, and almost all patients with advanced PCa will develop castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) after receiving endocrine therapy. Effective treatment for patients with CRPC has not been established. Novel approaches are needed to identify therapeutic targets for CRPC.

PURPOSE

Recent research studies have found that members of the 14-3-3 family play an important role in the development and progression of PCa. Previous results have shown that is significantly upregulated in several cancers. This study aimed to identify novel miRNAs that regulate 14-3-3 ɛ expression and therapeutic targets for CRPC.

METHODS

In this study, we used computation and experimental approaches for the prediction and verification of the miRNAs targeting 14-3-3 ɛ, and investigated the potential roles of 14-3-3 ɛ in the survival and proliferation of 22RV1 cells.

RESULTS

We confirm that mir-31-5p is downregulated in 22RV1 cells and acts as a tumor suppressor by regulating . Ectopic expression of miR-31-5p or interference significantly inhibits cell proliferation, invasion, and migration in 22RV1 cells, as well as promotes cell apoptosis via the PI3K/AKT/Bcl-2 signaling pathway. Moreover, is required for the miR-31-5p-mediated upregulation of the PI3K/AKT/Bcl-2 signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

Our findings provide information on the underlying mechanisms of miR-31-5p/ in 22RV1 cell proliferation and apoptosis through the PI3K/AKT/Bcl-2 signaling pathway. These results suggest that miR-31-5p and 14-3-3 ɛ may potentially be utilized as novel prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for PCa treatment.