MiR-122 Promotes The Proliferative Potential Of Renal Cancer Cells By Targeting Sprouty2

Background: MicroRNAs(miRNAs)are a family of short non-coding RNAs that are implicated in a variety of biological processes.The aberrant expression of mi R-122 has frequently been reported in malignant cancers.However,the mechanism of mi R-122 function in renal cell carcinoma(RCC)remains unknown.This study attempted to determine the biological function of mi R-122 in RCC and to identify a novel molecular target regulated by mi R-122.Methods: The sprouty2 expression levels were measured in six biological RCC tissue samples and adjacent non-tumor tissues via Western blot analysis.RT-PCR was used to measure the levels of mi R-122 in 40 primary RCC and adjacent non-malignant tissue samples.The effects of mi R-122 down-regulation or Spry2 knockdown were evaluated via CCK-8 assay,flow cytometry,and Western blot analysis.The relationship between mi R-122 and Spry2 was determined using dual-luciferase reporter assays.Results: Spry2 is down-regulated in RCC tissue samples compared with adjacent normal tissue.In contrast,mi R-122 is up-regulated in primary RCC tissue samples compared with adjacent normal tissue samples.The down-regulation of mi R-122 substantially weakened the proliferative ability of RCC cell lines in vitro.In contrast,Spry2 knockdown promoted the proliferation of RCC cell lines in vitro.Spry2 may be a direct target gene of mi R-122.Conclusion: MiR-122 can act as a tumor promoter and potentially targets Spry2.Mi R-122 is an underlying molecular target that promotes RCC cell proliferation,migration and invasion.