miR-27a-3p targeting RXRα promotes colorectal cancer progression by activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway

// Jiangtao Liang 1, * , Jianming Tang 1, * , Huijuan Shi 1, * , Hui Li 1 , Tiantian Zhen 1 , Jing Duan 1 , Lili Kang 1 , Fenfen Zhang 1 , Yu Dong 1 and Anjia Han 1 1 Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Anjia Han, email: hananjia@mail.sysu.edu.cn Keywords: miR-27a-3p, RXRα, Wnt/β-catenin pathway, colorectal cancer Received: March 22, 2017 Accepted: July 06, 2017 Published: July 26, 2017 ABSTRACT This study aimed to elucidate how miR-27a-3p modulates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to promote colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. Our results showed that the expression of miR-27a-3p was up-regulated in CRC and closely associated with histological differentiation, clinical stage, distant metastasis and CRC patients’ survival. miR-27a-3p mimic suppressed apoptosis and promoted proliferation, migration, invasion of CRC cells in vitro and in vivo . Whereas miR-27a-3p inhibitor promoted apoptosis and suppressed proliferation, migration, invasion of CRC cells in vitro and in vivo . Furthermore, RXRα was the target gene of miR-27a-3p in CRC. miR-27a-3p expression negatively correlated with RXRα expression in CRC tissues. The underlining mechanism study showed that miR-27a-3p/RXRα/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is involved in CRC progression. In conclusion, our findings first demonstrate that miR-27a-3p is a prognostic and/or potential therapeutic biomarker for CRC patients and RXRα as miR-27a-3p targeting gene plays an important role in activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway during CRC progression.