MiR-29a Induces Glioma Cell Apoptosis Through Suppressing P53 Response Genes

Human gliomas are the most common and malignant tumor in the central nervous system. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are increasingly involved in the malignant progression of glioma. Although the functions of several miRNAs have been well characterized, the role of miRNAs in glioma remains to be elucidated. In this study, we firstly determined the spatial and temporal patterns of mir-29a expression in a various tissue samples.We found miR-29 is ubiquitously expressed and elevates its expression with the increasing age.After that, we analyzed the expression profiles of miR-29 family members in glioma using miRNA microarray and q-RT PCR. We found that miR-29 was down regulated in glioma significantly. Furthermore, we found induction of miR-29a resulted in the cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis in glioma cells. Interestingly, we also found miR-29a expression was induced by p53 in glioma cells, suggesting miR-29a could be involved in p53 pathway. Moreover, we found miR-29a suppresses glioma growth via down-regulation of several p53 response genes, such as MDM4, CDK6 and Bc1212. Taken together, our findings reveal that miR-29a could play a pivotal role in glioma and could be therapeutically targeted.