The Evi1, microRNA-143, K-Ras axis in colon cancer

MicroRNA profiling of diseased/non-diseased tissue has identified expression signatures associated with a wide range of pathogenic conditions including malignancy. For example, colon cancer is associated with the under expression of miRNA-143 yet the molecular etiology of under expression is unknown. The K-Ras oncogene is a target of miRNA-143. Here, we show that the ecotropic viral integration site 1 oncoprotein (Evi1) is a transcriptional suppressor of the miRNA-143 gene. We find an indirect relationship between miRNA-143 and Evi1 expression. A complex molecular axis linking Evi1, miRNA-143 is operational in human colon cancer.