Programmed Cell Death 4 (PDCD4) Is an Important Functional Target of the MicroRNA miR-21 in Breast Cancer Cells*
- Lisa B. Frankel‡,
- Nanna R. Christoffersen‡,
- Anders Jacobsen‡§,
- Morten Lindow‡§,1,
- Anders Kroghठand
- Anders H. Lund‡¶,2
- ‡Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, §Bioinformatics Centre, Institute of Molecular Biology, and ¶Centre for Epigenetics, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 N Copenhagen, Denmark
- ↵2 To whom correspondence should be addressed: Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark. Tel.: 45-3532-5657; Fax: 45-3532-5669; E-mail: anders.lund{at}bric.dk.
Abstract
MicroRNAs are emerging as important regulators of cancer-related processes. The miR-21 microRNA is overexpressed in a wide variety of cancers and has been causally linked to cellular proliferation, apoptosis, and migration. Inhibition of mir-21 in MCF-7 breast cancer cells causes reduced cell growth. Using array expression analysis of MCF-7 cells depleted of miR-21, we have identified mRNA targets of mir-21 and have shown a link between miR-21 and the p53 tumor suppressor protein. We furthermore found that the tumor suppressor protein Programmed Cell Death 4 (PDCD4) is regulated by miR-21 and demonstrated that PDCD4 is a functionally important target for miR-21 in breast cancer cells.
- Received August 28, 2007.
- Revision received November 8, 2007.
- The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
