27250

PDCD4

H731;programmed cell death 4 (neoplastic transformation inhibitor);PDCD4;programmed cell death 4 (neoplastic transformation inhibitor)

neoplastic transformation inhibitor protein|nuclear antigen H731|programmed cell death protein 4|protein 197/15a

10q24

protein-coding

PDCD4 is a new tumor suppressor gene. In the current study, we show that overexpression of PDCD4 in carcinoid cells results in inhibition of cell proliferation. This is most likely caused by a PDCD4-induced downregulation of carbonic anhydrase type II which catalyzes the production of bicarbonate, a fundamental substrate for many cellular pathways.

Programmed cell death 4 (Pdcd4) is a tumor suppressor protein that interacts with eukaryotic initiation factor 4A and inhibits protein synthesis. Pdcd4 also suppresses the transactivation of activator protein-1 (AP-1)-responsive promoters by c-Jun. The Akt (protein kinase B) serine/threonine kinase is a key mediator of phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, survival, and growth. Because Pdcd4 has two putative Akt phosphorylation sites at Ser(67) and Ser(457), we investigated whether Akt phosphorylates and regulates Pdcd4. Our results show that Akt specifically phosphorylates Ser(67) and Ser(457) residues of Pdcd4 in vitro and in vivo. We further show that phosphorylation of Pdcd4 by Akt causes nuclear translocation of Pdcd4. Using luciferase assay, we show that phosphorylation of Pdcd4 by Akt also causes a significant decrease of the ability of Pdcd4 to interfere with the transactivation of AP-1-responsive promoter by c-Jun.

The programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) gene was originally identified as a tumor-related gene in humans and acts as a tumor-suppressor in mouse epidermal carcinoma cells. However, its function and regulatory mechanisms of expression in human cancer remain to be elucidated. We therefore investigated the expression of PDCD4 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the role of PDCD4 in human HCC cells. Downregulation of PDCD4 protein was observed in all HCC tissues tested compared with corresponding noncancerous liver, as revealed by Western blotting or immunohistochemical staining. Human HCC cell line, Huh7, transfected with PDCD4 cDNA showed nuclear fragmentation and DNA laddering characteristic of apoptotic cells associated with mitochondrial changes and caspase activation. Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) treatment of Huh7 cells resulted in increased PDCD4 expression and occurrence of apoptosis, also concomitant with mitochondrial events and caspase activation. Transfection of Smad7, a known antagonist to TGF-beta1 signaling, protected cells from TGF-beta1-mediated apoptosis and suppressed TGF-beta1-induced PDCD4 expression. Moreover, antisense PDCD4 transfectants were resistant to apoptosis induced by TGF-beta1. In conclusion, these data suggest that PDCD4 is a proapoptotic molecule involved in TGF-beta1-induced apoptosis in human HCC cells, and a possible tumor suppressor in hepatocarcinogenesis.

The tumor suppressor function of Programmed Cell Death 4 (Pdcd4) is achieved through interactions between Pdcd4 and components of the translation initiation complex, namely, the RNA helicase eIF4A and the scaffolding protein eIF4G. These interactions are mediated through two MA3 domains on the Pdcd4 molecule and result in inhibition of protein synthesis. We have solved the high-resolution crystal structure of the C-terminal MA3 (cMA3) domain of Pdcd4 in several crystal forms and demonstrated its similarity to the MA3 domain of eIF4G. As predicted by the structure, the cMA3 domain competes with eIF4Gc for binding to eIF4A and surprisingly is sufficient to inhibit translation initiation. mutations that abolish eIF4A binding negate both functions of the cMA3. Interestingly mutations in the Akt phosphorylation site influenced neither cMA3 binding to eIF4A nor its ability to inhibit translation initiation. Finally, our structural analysis reveals MA3 domains to be a novel subfamily of VHS domains.

tumor suppressor Pdcd4 has recently been shown to inhibit invasion by activating activator protein-1 (AP-1); however, little is known of the functionally significant Pdcd4-target genes. The urokinase receptor (u-PAR) promotes invasion/metastasis, and is associated with poor cancer-patient survival. The present study was conducted (1) to investigate a role for Pdcd4 in intravasation, invasion and u-PAR regulation, and (2) to describe mechanisms by which this is achieved. Fourteen cell lines showed reciprocal expression of u-PAR/Pdcd4. Resected tumor/normal tissues of 29 colorectal cancer patients demonstrated a significant inverse correlation between Pdcd4/u-PAR. siRNA-Pdcd4-transfected GEO cells significantly increased endogenous u-PAR mRNA/protein. A u-PAR-promoter-chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT)-reporter was reduced in activity with increasing Pdcd4 expression in RKO. Deletion of a putative Sp-1-binding site (-402/-350) inhibited u-PAR promoter regulation by Pdcd4, this being paralleled by a reduction of Sp1 binding to this region in pdcd4-transfected cells. Pdcd4-transfected cells showed an increase in Sp3 binding to u-PAR promoter region -152/-135, the deletion of which reduces the ability of Pdcd4 to suppress u-PAR promoter activity. Surprisingly, the u-PAR-AP-1 site was not targeted by Pdcd4. Finally, RKO cells overexpressing Pdcd4 showed an inhibition of invasion/intravasation (chicken embryo metastasis assay). These data suggest Pdcd4 as a new negative regulator of intravasation, and qas the invasion-related gene u-PAR. It is the first study to implicate Pdcd4 regulation of gene expression via Sp1/Sp3.

Programmed cell death 4 (Pdcd4) is a tumor suppressor that inhibits neoplastic transformation and tumor invasion. Tissue microarray analysis showed that Pdcd4 expression is downregulated in colon adenocarcinoma and carcinoma relative to adjacent normal tissues. To address the issue of whether reduced Pdcd4 expression is sufficient to promote tumor progression, we knocked down Pdcd4 expression in colon tumor HT29 cells using pdcd4 short hairpin RNA (shRNA). Pdcd4 knockdown results in a fibroblast-like transition, while the control cells (expressing LacZ shRNA) remain as clumped similar to the parental cells. In addition, expression of pdcd4 shRNA in HT29 cells promotes invasion. In an effort to characterize the molecular mechanism underlying these observations, we discovered that knockdown of Pdcd4 results in reduction of E-cadherin expression, and accumulation of active beta-catenin in the nucleus. The active beta-catenin binds with T-cell factor 4 (Tcf4) and activates beta-catenin/Tcf-dependent transcription. Furthermore, Pdcd4 knockdown dramatically increases AP-1-dependent transcription. Thus, the mechanism by which reduced Pdcd4 expression promotes invasion appears to involve the activation of beta-catenin/Tcf and AP-1-dependent transcription.

Pdcd4 (programmed cell death protein 4) was identified as a gene up-regulated during apoptosis and, additionally, seems to have a function as a tumor suppressor. However, there are conflicting data concerning its role in programmed cell death and most results for its action as an inhibitor for neoplastic transformation are derived from experiments with epidermal cells. Therefore, we were interested to investigate if the action of Pdcd4 might be cell type specific. For that purpose we examined the expression of Pdcd4 and several other proteins in various tumor cell lines. We could not find any correlation of Pdcd4 levels and expression of proteins associated with cell cycle and/or apoptosis in different cell lines. Furthermore, we stably transfected two cell lines (Bon-1 and HCT116) to over-express Pdcd4 and analyzed protein expression. Although we found several regulated proteins none of these proteins were affected in both cell lines in the same manner. For instance, dUTPase expression was reduced in Bon-1 cells but not changed in HCT116 cells. This regulation might be important for the sensitivity of cells to anti-cancer drugs like inhibitors of thymidilate synthase. Therefore, we conclude that the function of Pdcd4 might be cell type specific. A role for Pdcd4 in apoptosis or as a tumor suppressor might be limited to certain cell types.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA molecules that negatively control expression of target genes in animals and plants. The microRNA-21 gene (mir-21) has been identified as the only miRNA commonly overexpressed in solid tumors of the lung, breast, stomach, prostate, colon, brain, head and neck, esophagus and pancreas. We initiated a screen to identify miR-21 target genes using a reporter assay and identified a potential miR-21 target in the 3-UTR of the programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) gene. We cloned the full-length 3-UTR of human PDCD4 downstream of a reporter and found that mir-21 downregulated, whereas a modified antisense RNA to miR-21 upregulated reporter activity. Moreover, deletion of the putative miR-21-binding site (miRNA regulatory element, MRE) from the 3-UTR of PDCD4, or mutations in the MRE abolished the ability of miR-21 to inhibit reporter activity, indicating that this MRE is a critical regulatory region. Western blotting showed that Pdcd4 protein levels were reduced by miR-21 in human and mouse cells, whereas quantitative real-time PCR revealed little difference at the mRNA level, suggesting translational regulation. Finally, overexpression of mir-21 in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells and mouse epidermal JB6 cells promoted soft agar colony formation by downregulating Pdcd4 protein levels. The demonstration that miR-21 promotes cell transformation supports the concept that mir-21 functions as an oncogene by a mechanism that involves translational repression of the tumor suppressor Pdcd4.

The transcription factor AP-1 plays key roles in tumorigenesis, by regulating a variety of protein-coding genes, implicated in multiple hallmarks of cancer. Among non-coding genes, no AP-1 target has been described yet in tumorigenesis. microRNAs (miRNAs) are negative post-transcriptional regulators of protein-coding genes. miRNA expression signatures are highly relevant in cancer and several tumor-associated miRNAs (oncomirs) play critical roles in oncogenesis. Here, we show that the miRNA miR-21, which represents the most frequently upregulated oncomir in solid tumors, is induced by AP-1 in response to RAS. By analyzing validated miR-21 targets, we have found that the tumor suppressors PTEN and PDCD4 are downregulated by RAS in an AP-1- and miR-21-dependent fashion. We further show that, given the role of PDCD4 as negative regulator of AP-1, the miR-21-mediated downregulation of PDCD4 is essential for the maximal induction of AP-1 activity in response to RAS. Our data reveal a novel mechanism of positive autoregulation of the AP-1 complex in RAS transformation and disclose the function of oncomirs as critical targets and regulators of AP-1 in tumorigenesis.

microRNAs have been linked to different cancer-related processes. The microRNA miR-21 appears to function as an anti-apoptosis factor in glioblastomas. However, the functional target genes of miR-21 are largely unknown in glioblastomas. In this study, bioinformatics analysis was used to identify miR-21 target sites in various genes. Luciferase activity assay showed that a number of genes involved in apoptosis, PDCD4, MTAP, and SOX5, carry putative miR-21 binding sites. expression of PDCD4 protein correlates inversely with expression of miR-21 in a number of human glioblastoma cell lines such as T98G, A172, U87, and U251. Inhibition of miR-21 increases endogenous levels of PDCD4 in cell line T98G and over-expression miR-21 inhibits PDCD4-dependent apoptosis. Together, these results indicate that miR-21 expression plays a key role in regulating cellular processes in glioblastomas and may serve as a target for effective therapies.

(+/-)-13-Hydroxy-10-oxo-trans-11-octadecenoic acid (13-HOA) is one of the lipoxygenase metabolites of linoleic acid (LA) from corn germ. Recently, we reported that this metabolite suppressed the expression of lipopolysaccharide-induced proinflammatory genes in murine macrophages by disrupting mitogen-activated protein kinases and Akt pathways. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of 13-HOA on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced inflammation in ears and skin, as well as tumor promotion in female ICR mice. Pretreatment with 13-HOA (1600 nmol) inhibited ear edema formation by 95% (P < 0.05) in an inflammation test and reduced tumor incidence and the number of tumors per mouse by 40 and 64% (P < 0.05 each), respectively, in a two-stage skin carcinogenesis model. Histological examinations revealed that it decreased epidermal thickness, the number of infiltrated leukocytes and cell proliferation index. Furthermore, 13-HOA (8-40 muM) suppressed TPA-induced anchorage-independent growth of JB6 mouse epidermal cells by 70-100%, whereas LA was virtually inactive. 13-HOA (40 muM) inhibited TPA-induced activator protein-1 transactivation but not extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 activation. Interestingly, 13-HOA (40 muM and 1600 nmol in JB6 cells and mouse skin, respectively) induced expression of programmed cell death 4 (Pdcd4), a novel tumor suppressor protein. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a food factor that is able to induce Pdcd4 expression. Collectively, our results indicate that 13-HOA may be a novel anti-inflammatory and antitumor chemopreventive agent with a unique mode of action.

Multidrug resistance and disease relapse is a challenging clinical problem in the treatment of breast cancer. In this study, we investigated the hyaluronan (HA)-induced interaction between CD44 (a primary HA receptor) and protein kinase Cepsilon (PKCepsilon), which regulates a number of human breast tumor cell functions. Our results indicate that HA binding to CD44 promotes PKCepsilon activation, which, in turn, increases the phosphorylation of the stem cell marker, Nanog, in the breast tumor cell line MCF-7. Phosphorylated Nanog is then translocated from the cytosol to the nucleus and becomes associated with RNase III DROSHA and the RNA helicase p68. This process leads to microRNA-21 (miR-21) production and a tumor suppressor protein (e.g. PDCD4 (program cell death 4)) reduction. All of these events contribute to up-regulation of inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) and MDR1 (multidrug-resistant protein), resulting in anti-apoptosis and chemotherapy resistance. Transfection of MCF-7 cells with PKCepsilon or Nanog-specific small interfering RNAs effectively blocks HA-mediated PKCepsilon-Nanog signaling events, abrogates miR-21 production, and increases PDCD4 expression/eIF4A binding. Subsequently, this PKCepsilon-Nanog signaling inhibition causes IAP/MDR1 down-regulation, apoptosis, and chemosensitivity. To further evaluate the role of miR-21 in oncogenesis and chemoresistance, MCF-7 cells were also transfected with a specific anti-miR-21 inhibitor in order to silence miR-21 expression and inhibit its target functions. Our results indicate that anti-miR-21 inhibitor not only enhances PDCD4 expression/eIF4A binding but also blocks HA-CD44-mediated tumor cell behaviors. Thus, this newly discovered HA-CD44 signaling pathway should provide important drug targets for sensitizing tumor cell apoptosis and overcoming chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer cells.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to identify novel regulatory mechanisms controlling the growth and proliferation of cholesteatoma. Specifically, the potential role of microRNAs, regulators of protein translation, was studied in cholesteatoma. STUDY DESIGN: This study represents a molecular biologic investigation characterizing and comparing microRNA and protein expression in cholesteatoma and normal postauricular skin. METHODS: Cholesteatoma and normal skin were taken from patients at the time of surgery. Tissue was processed for RNA and protein extraction. Real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was used to assess levels of human microRNAs, reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was used to confirm the presence of upstream regulators, and Western blot analyses were used to assess levels of downstream target proteins. RESULTS: Among the microRNAs investigated, human microRNA-21 (hsa-miR-21) showed a 4.4-fold higher expression in cholesteatoma as compared with normal skin (p = 0.0011). The downstream targets of hsa-miR-21, PTEN and programmed cell death 4, were found to be greatly reduced in 3 of 4 cholesteatoma samples. Proposed upstream regulators of hsa-miR-21 expression (CD14, interleukin 6R, gp130, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) were present in all cholesteatoma tissues. CONCLUSION: microRNAs represent powerful regulators of protein translation, and their dysregulation has been implicated in many neoplastic diseases. This study specifically identified up-regulation of hsa-miR-21 concurrent with down-regulation of potent tumor suppressor proteins PTEN and programmed cell death 4. These proteins control aspects of apoptosis, proliferation, invasion, and migration. The results of this study were used to develop a model for cholesteatoma proliferation through microRNA dysregulation. This model can serve as a template for further study into potential RNA-based therapies for the treatment of cholesteatoma.

microRNAs are involved in cancer-related processes. The microRNA-21(miR-21) has been identified as the only miRNA over-expressed in a wide variety of cancers, including cervical cancer. However, the function of miR-21 is unknown in cervical carcinomas. In this study, we found that the inhibition of miR-21 in HeLa cervical cancer cells caused profound suppression of cell proliferation, and up-regulated the expression of the tumor suppressor gene PDCD4. We also provide direct evidence that PDCD4-3UTR is a functional target of miR-21 and that the 18bp putative target site can function as the sole regulatory element in HeLa cells. These results suggest that miR-21 may play an oncogenic role in the cellular processes of cervical cancer and may serve as a target for effective therapies.

The tumor suppressor PDCD4 is a proinflammatory protein that promotes activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB and suppresses interleukin 10 (IL-10). Here we found that mice deficient in PDCD4 were protected from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced death. The induction of NF-kappaB and IL-6 by LPS required PDCD4, whereas LPS enhanced IL-10 induction in cells lacking PDCD4. Treatment of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells with LPS resulted in lower PDCD4 expression, which was due to induction of the microRNA miR-21 via the adaptor MyD88 and NF-kappaB. Transfection of cells with a miR-21 precursor blocked NF-kappaB activity and promoted IL-10 production in response to LPS, whereas transfection with antisense oligonucleotides to miR-21 or targeted protection of the miR-21 site in Pdcd4 mRNA had the opposite effect. Thus, miR-21 regulates PDCD4 expression after LPS stimulation.

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) induces apoptosis in normal hepatocytes and hepatoma cells. PDCD4 is involved in TGF-beta1-induced apoptosis via the Smad pathway. The tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbor-13-acetate (TPA), a protein kinase C stimulator, inhibits TGF-beta1-induced apoptosis. However, the mechanisms of TPA action on PDCD4 expression remain to be elucidated. Therefore. the regulatory mechanism of PDCD4 expression by PKC was investigated. The treatment of the human hepatoma cell line, Huh7 with TPA suppressed PDCD4 protein expression and TGF-beta1 failed to increase the PDCD4 protein expression. PKC inhibitors Ro-31-8425 or bisindolylmaleimide-1-hydrocholoride (pan-PKC inhibitors) and rottlerin (PKCdelta inhibitor), but not Go6976 (PKCalpha inhibitor), enhanced the induction of PDCD4 protein by TGF-beta1. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated knockdown of PKCdelta and epsilon, but not PKCalpha, augmented the TGF-beta1-stimulated PDCD4 protein expression. However, TPA or pan-PKC inhibitor did not alter the PDCD4 mRNA expression either under basal- and TGF-beta1-treated conditions. The down-regulation of PDCD4 by TPA was restored by treatment with the proteasome inhibitor MG132. These data suggest that two isoforms of PKCs are involved in the regulation of the PDCD4 protein expression related to the proteasomal degradation pathway.

BACKGROUND: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) pathogenesis has been linked to the prolonged survival and/or apoptotic resistance of leukemic B cells in vivo, and is thought to be due to enhanced survival signaling responses to environmental factors that protect CLL cells from spontaneous and chemotherapy-induced death. Although normally associated with cell migration, the chemokine, CXCL12, is one of the factors known to support the survival of CLL cells. Thus, the signaling pathways activated by CXCL12 and its receptor, CXCR4, were investigated as components of these pathways and may represent targets that if inhibited, could render resistant CLL cells more susceptible to chemotherapy. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To determine the downstream signaling targets that contribute to the survival effects of CXCL12 in CLL, we took a phosphoproteomics approach to identify and compare phosphopeptides in unstimulated and CXCL12-stimulated primary CLL cells. While some of the survival pathways activated by CXCL12 in CLL are known, including Akt and ERK1/2, this approach enabled the identification of additional signaling targets and novel phosphoproteins that could have implications in CLL disease and therapy. In addition to the phosphoproteomics results, we provide evidence from western blot validation that the tumor suppressor, programmed cell death factor 4 (PDCD4), is a previously unidentified phosphorylation target of CXCL12 signaling in all CLL cells probed. Additionally, heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), which mediates anti-apoptotic signaling and has previously been linked to chemotherapeutic resistance, was detected in a subset (approximately 25%) of CLL patients cells examined. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Since PDCD4 and HSP27 have previously been associated with cancer and regulation of cell growth and apoptosis, these proteins may have novel implications in CLL cell survival and represent potential therapeutic targets. PDCD4 also represents a previously unknown signaling target of chemokine receptors; therefore, these observations increase our understanding of alternative pathways to migration that may be activated or inhibited by chemokines in the context of cancer cell survival.

OBJECTIVES: We wished to identify a major transcript that is upregulated during in vivo pancreatic islet neogenesis and examine the expression of the gene in beta and ductal cells. METHODS: Differential display polymerase chain reaction was used to identify upregulated transcripts after islet neogenesis was stimulated in the rat by brief occlusion of the main pancreatic duct. The expression of this major transcript, namely PDCD4 (programmed cell death gene 4), was measured in beta and ductal cells after stimulation with the incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide 1, mitogenic insulin, the thiazolidinedione rosiglitazone, and by high glucose concentrations. The subcellular location of the protein was also examined. RESULTS: The expression of the Pdcd4 gene in pancreatic beta and ductal cells was found to be stimulated in a comparable manner by either glucagon-like peptide 1, insulin, and by high glucose concentrations. However, intracellular localisation of the PDCD4 protein was shown to be differentially regulated by these stimuli in beta and ductal cells. Furthermore, the thiazolidinedione rosiglitazone specifically upregulates Pdcd4 gene expression in beta cells in a time-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: This is the first study showing Pdcd4 expression in pancreatic cells. Our data indicate that Pdcd4 expression may be integral in the function of the adult pancreas.

One of the key regulatory points of translation initiation is recruitment of the 43S preinitation complex to the 5 mRNA cap by the eIF4F complex (eIF4A, eIF4E, and eIF4G). The tumor suppressor protein Pdcd4 has been shown to inhibit cap-dependent translation by interacting tightly with the RNA helicase eIF4A via its tandem MA-3 domains. The NMR studies reported here reveal a fairly extensive and well defined interface between the two MA-3 domains in solution, which appears to be stabilized by a network of interdomain salt bridges and hydrogen bonds, and reveals a unique orientation of the two domains. Characterization of the stoichiometry of the Pdcd4-eIF4A complex suggests that under physiological conditions Pdcd4 binds to a single molecule of eIF4A, which involves contacts with both Pdcd4 MA-3 domains. We also show that contacts mediated by a conserved acidic patch on the middle MA-3 domain of Pdcd4 are essential for forming a tight complex with eIF4A in vivo, whereas the equivalent region of the C-terminal MA-3 domain appears to have no role in complex formation in vivo. The formation of a 1:1 eIF4A-Pdcd4 complex in solution is consistent with the reported presence in vivo of only one molecule of eIF4A in the eIF4F complex. Pdcd4 has also been reported to interact directly with the middle region of eIF4G, however, we were unable to obtain any evidence for even a weak, transient direct interaction.

The expression patterns of PDCD4, a tumor suppressor, and beta-catenin were immunohistologically investigated in gastric carcinoma tissues. In normal gastric tissues, PDCD4 was strongly expressed in the cell nuclei, but weakly expressed in the cytoplasm. In gastric adenocarcinoma tissues, nuclear PDCD4 expression was decreased, while cytoplasmic PDCD4 expression was unchanged or somewhat increased. In gastric signet ring cell carcinoma tissues, PDCD4 expression patterns were different from the expression patterns of the adenocarcinoma tissues, and PDCD4 was localized in the nuclei of the carcinoma cells as a belt in the middle of the epithelial layer. The nuclear localization of PDCD4 in the adenocarcinoma tissues was correlated with the membrane localization of beta-catenin, the activation of which stimulates invasion of colon cancer cells. PDCD4 expression was correlated with beta-catenin expression in gastric carcinoma cell lines, but not with E-cadherin, as the binding partner in the cell membrane.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the regulatory mechanism underlying proliferation and anti-apoptosis in NSCLC by overexpression of miR-21. METHODS: Real-time PCR was used to measure miR-21 abundance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor samples and adjacent normal tissues, as well as NSCLC cell lines. tumor suppressor genes as potential targets of miR-21 were predicted by sequence analysis. Luciferase assay and Western blot were used to assess the regulatory effect. The effect on A549 cell viability and apoptosis by miR-21-induced gene repression was tested by trypan-blue exclusion and flow cytometry. RESULTS: miR-21 expression was 2.24-fold higher in the NSCLC tumor samples and 3.06-fold higher in the A549 cells than that in the adjacent normal tissues. Sequence prediction and gene expression regulation assays showed that miR-21 could reversely regulate the expression of PDCD4 (P < 0.01). suppression of miR-21 expression is associated with an elevation of Pdcd4, resulting in a significant reduction of proliferation and the apoptosis rate (2.6%) was increased to 10.9%. Moreover, the anti-proliferation and pro-apoptotic effect by miR-21 suppression could be reversed by PDCD4 knock down. CONCLUSION: suppression of the tumor suppressor PDCD4 expression may be one of the important regulatory pathways of the miR-21-mediated cell proliferation and decrease of apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer.

Programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4), a novel tumor suppressor, inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion as well as promotes cell apoptosis in tumors. However, the molecular mechanism of its tumor-suppressive function remains largely unknown in tumors including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this study, downregulated PDCD4 expression was significantly associated with the status of NPC progression and poor prognosis. PDCD4 markedly suppressed the ability of cell proliferation and cell survival by modulating C-MYC-controlled cell cycle and BCL-2-mediated mitochondrion apoptosis resistance signals, and oncogenic transcription factor C-JUN in NPC. Furthermore, miR-184, a tumor-suppressive miRNA modulated by PDCD4 directly targeting BCL2 and C-MYC, participated in PDCD4-mediated suppression of cell proliferation and survival in NPC. Further, we found that PDCD4 decreased the binding of C-Jun to the AP-1 element on the miR-184 promoter regions by PI3K/AKT/JNK/C-Jun pathway and stimulated miR-184 expression. In clinical fresh specimens, reduced PDCD4 mRNA level was positively correlated with miR-184 expression in NPC. Our studies are the first to demonstrate that PDCD4 as tumor suppressor regulated miR-184-mediated direct targeting of BCL2 and C-MYC via PI3K/AKT and JNK/C-Jun pathway attenuating cell proliferation and survival in NPC.