MicroRNA 10a induces glioma tumorigenesis by targeting myotubularin-related protein 3 and regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

MicroRNAs are involved in the regulation of tumor formation. A previous study suggested that miR-10a promotes glioma cell migration and invasion. However, the effect of miR-10a on the proliferation of glioma cells remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that miR-10a promoted proliferation and reduced apoptosis in glioma cells by directly targeting the 3'-UTR of myotubularin-related protein 3 (MTMR3). miR-10a enhanced, while MTMR3 weakened, the growth of glioma in vivo. Ectopic expression of MTMR3 neutralized the effect of miR-10a on glioma. Furthermore, miR-10a and MTMR3 regulated β-catenin expression and genes downstream of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, such as Bcl-2, c-myc, p-c-Jun, and cleaved caspase-3, to affect the proliferation ability and apoptosis of glioma cells. In conclusion, our results indicated that miR-10a regulated cell proliferation and apoptosis by directly targeting MTMR3 and could function as a prognostic factor for progression of glioma.