hsa-miR-122

hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

Relationship type:

Unspecified

Detection method for miRNA expression:

northern blot, qRT-PCR etc

down-regulated

Validated targets of miRNA from the reference:

unknown

Validated targets of miRNA from TarBase:

CAT-1 : More...

Description:

we evaluated the clinical and functional relevance of microRNA-122 (miR-122) expression in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We report that miR-122 is specifically repressed in a subset of primary tumors that are characterized by poor prognosis. We further show that the loss of miR-122 expression in tumor cells segregates with specific gene expression profiles linked to cancer progression, namely the suppression of hepatic phenotype and the acquisition of invasive properties. We identify liver-enriched transcription factors as central regulatory molecules in the gene networks associated with loss of miR-122, and provide evidence suggesting that miR-122 is under the transcriptional control of HNF1A, HNF3A and HNF3B. We further show that loss of miR-122 results in an increase of cell migration and invasion and that restoration of miR-122 reverses this phenotype. In conclusion, miR-122 is a marker of hepatocyte-specific differentiation and an important determinant in the control of cell migration and invasion. From a clinical point of view, our study emphasizes miR-122 as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for HCC progression.

Reference:

Loss of miR-122 expression in liver cancer correlates with suppression of the hepatic phenotype and gain of metastatic properties. | PMID:19617899
Coulouarn C, Factor VM, Andersen JB, Durkin ME, Thorgeirsson SS.
Oncogene. 2009 Jul 20.