Abstract

Recently, microRNAs have emerged as regulators of cancer metastasis through acting on multiple signaling pathways involved in metastasis. In this study, we have analyzed the level of miR-10b and cell motility and invasiveness in several human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. Our results reveal a significant correlation of miR-10b level with cell motility and invasiveness. Overexpression of miR-10b in KYSE140 cells increased cell motility and invasiveness, whereas inhibition of miR-10b in EC9706 cells reduced cell invasiveness, although it did not alter cell motility. Additionally, we identified KLF4, a known tumor suppressor gene that has been reported to suppress esophageal cancer cell migration and invasion, as a direct target of miR-10b. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-10b in KYSE140 and KYSE450 cells led to a reduction of endogenous KLF4 protein, whereas silencing of miR-10b in EC9706 cells caused up-regulation of KLF4 protein. Coexpression of miR-10b and KLF4 in KYSE140 cells and coexpression of small interfering RNA for KLF4 mRNA and miR-10b-AS in EC9706 cells partially abrogated the effect of miR-10b on cell migration and invasion. Finally, analyses of the miR-10b level in 40 human esophageal cancer samples and their paired normal adjacent tissues revealed an elevated expression of miR-10b in 95% (38 of 40) of cancer tissues, although no significant correlation of the miR-10b level with clinical metastasis status was observed in these samples.