Oh Seonyeong, Lee Sieun, Cheon Inyoung, Ahn Young-Ho
Department of Molecular Medicine, Inflammation-Cancer Microenvironment Research Center, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, 25 Magokdong-ro 2-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, 07804, Korea.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 24;15(1):3050. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-82189-x.
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) actively contribute to the formation of tumor-supportive microenvironments, thereby promoting cancer progression and impacting therapeutic outcomes. This study utilized global microRNA (miRNA) expression profiling to identify specific miRNAs responsible for reprogramming normal lung fibroblasts (LFs) into CAFs. miR-224 demonstrates increased expression in CAFs, and its levels are elevated in lung tumors compared to those in normal tissues, according to data from public databases. Overexpression of miR-224 in LFs increases the overall expression of CAF activation markers. Furthermore, LFs overexpressing miR-224 enhanced the migration and invasion of lung cancer cells via direct cell-to-cell contact in a co-culture system. In a mouse orthotopic injection model, miR-224 overexpression in LFs increased lung cancer metastasis. Using target prediction tools and subsequent 3'-UTR luciferase assay, Akirin1 was validated as a direct target gene of miR-224. In addition, LFs depleted of Akirin1 by siRNAs stimulated the migration and invasion of lung cancer cells compared to control LFs. Overall, these findings indicate that miR-224 induces CAF activation and promotes the migration and invasion of lung cancer cells by targeting Akirin1 in co-culture systems.
癌症相关成纤维细胞(CAFs)积极参与肿瘤支持性微环境的形成,从而促进癌症进展并影响治疗效果。本研究利用全局微小RNA(miRNA)表达谱来鉴定负责将正常肺成纤维细胞(LFs)重编程为CAFs的特定miRNA。根据公共数据库的数据,miR-224在CAFs中的表达增加,并且其在肺肿瘤中的水平相对于正常组织升高。在LFs中过表达miR-224会增加CAF激活标志物的整体表达。此外,过表达miR-224的LFs在共培养系统中通过直接的细胞间接触增强了肺癌细胞的迁移和侵袭。在小鼠原位注射模型中,LFs中miR-224的过表达增加了肺癌转移。使用靶标预测工具和随后的3'-UTR荧光素酶测定,Akirin1被验证为miR-