miR-143 inhibits the metastasis of pancreatic cancer and an associated signaling pathway

Yongjun Hu, Yanglu Ou, Kemin Wu, Yuxiang Chen, Weijia Sun

Pancreatic cancer is characterized by early metastasis and high mortality. In this study, the role of miR-143 in invasion and metastasis was investigated in pancreatic cancer cells. miR-143 expression was established by an adenovirus-carried miR-143 expression cassette. mRNA and protein levels of gene expression were examined by RT-PCR and Western blot assay, respectively. Rho GTPases activity was measured by the pull down assay. The role of miR-143 in migration and invasion of Panc-1 cells was tested in vitro. The antimetastatic effect of miR-143 was tested in a liver metastasis model, while its antitumor growth effect was tested in a xenograft Panc-1 tumor model. Results demonstrated that ARHGEF1 (GEF1), ARHGEF2 (GEF2), and K-RAS genes are the targets of miR-143. miR-143 expression significantly decreased mRNA and protein levels of GEF1, GEF2, and K-RAS genes; lowered the constitutive activities of RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 GTPases; decreased the protein levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9; but significantly increased the protein level of E-cadherin. miR-143 expression also significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of Panc-1 cells in vitro, liver metastasis, and xenograft tumor growth in vivo. Our study suggested that miR-143 plays a central role in the invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer and miR-143 is a potential target for pancreatic cancer therapy.