| First Author | Ma X | Year | 2011 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 108 |
| Issue | 25 | Pages | 10144-9 |
| PubMed ID | 21646541 | Mgi Jnum | J:173464 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5014118 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.1103735108 |
| Citation | Ma X, et al. (2011) Loss of the miR-21 allele elevates the expression of its target genes and reduces tumorigenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108(25):10144-9 |
| abstractText | MicroRNA 21 (miR-21) is overexpressed in virtually all types of carcinomas and various types of hematological malignancies. To determine whether miR-21 promotes tumor development in vivo, we knocked out the miR-21 allele in mice. In response to the 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate mouse skin carcinogenesis protocol, miR-21-null mice showed a significant reduction in papilloma formation compared with wild-type mice. We revealed that cellular apoptosis was elevated and cell proliferation was decreased in mice deficient of miR-21 compared to wild-type animals. In addition, we found that a large number of validated or predicted miR-21 target genes were up-regulated in miR-21-null keratinocytes, which are precursor cells to skin papillomas. Specifically, up-regulation of Spry1, Pten, and Pdcd4 when miR-21 was ablated coincided with reduced phosphorylation of ERK, AKT, and JNK, three major downstream effectors of Ras activation that plays a predominant role in DMBA-initiated skin carcinogenesis. These results provide in vivo evidence that miR-21 exerts its oncogenic function through negatively regulating its target genes. |
