[Expression of miR-454-3p and its effect on proliferation, invasion and metastasis of colon cancer].

Objective: To study the expression of miR-454-3p in colon cancer and its effect on colon cancer proliferation, invasion and hepatic metastasis.

Methods: Specimens of tumor tissues and paired adjacent tissues were collected from 20 patients with colorectal cancer for detecting the expression levels of miR-454-3p using in situ hybridization. Colon cancer cell line SW480 was transfected with a lentiviral vector to induce miR-454-3p over-expression, and the changes in cell proliferation and invasion were observed using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), clone formation assay and Transwell experiment. The effect of miR- 454-3p over-expression on hepatic metastasis of colon cancer was assessed in BALB/c mouse models.

Results: The results of in situ hybridization showed a significantly increased expression level of miR-454-3p in colon cancer tissues as compared with normal colon tissues ( < 0.05). In SW480 cells, over-expression of miR-454-3p significantly promoted the cell proliferation and invasion ( < 0.05). In BALB/c mice, SW480 cells over-expressing miR-454-3p showed a significantly higher potential for liver metastases than the control cells ( < 0.05).

Conclusions: miR-454-3p is overexpressed in the tumor tissues in patients with colorectal cancer and participates in the progression of colorectal cancer by promoting cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and liver metastasis. miR-454-3p may serve as a novel biomarker for colorectal cancer diagnosis and prognostic evaluation.