TY  - EJOU
AU  - Liang, Tao 
AU  - Hu, Xiao-Yong 
AU  - Li, Yong-Hui 
AU  - Tian, Bin-Qiang 
AU  - Li, Zuo-Wei 
AU  - Fu, Qiang 

TI  - MicroRNA-21 Regulates the Proliferation, Differentiation, and Apoptosis of  Human Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells by the mTOR-STAT3 Signaling Pathway
T2  - Oncology Research

PY  - 2016
VL  - 24
IS  - 5
SN  - 1555-3906

AB  - MicroRNA-21 (miRNA-21), a kind of short, noncoding RNAs, functioned as a tumor marker and was upregulated in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, the underlying mechanisms of miRNA-21 in RCC were uncertain. Therefore, the effects and mechanisms of miRNA-21 on the proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis 
of cultured human RCC cells were further investigated in this study. After slicing miRNA-21 in RCC cells, 
the viability, mRNA expression of C/EBPα and PPARγ, caspase 3 activity, and protein expression of mTOR, 
STAT3, and pSTAT3 were determined. It was found that knockdown of miRNA-21 downregulated the optical density (OD) value of cells, inhibited mRNA expression of PPARγ and C/EBPα, and enhanced activity 
of caspase 3. Furthermore, protein expression of pSTAT3 was also decreased in the absence of miRNA-21. 
Notably, miRNA-21-changed proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of human RCC cells were partially 
regulated following the block of the mTOR-STAT3 signaling pathway by the mTOR inhibitor (XL388). It was 
indicated that miRNA-21 promoted proliferation and differentiation and decreased apoptosis of human RCC 
cells through the activation of the mTOR-STAT3 signaling pathway.
KW  - miRNA-21; Human renal cell carcinoma (RCC); Proliferation; Differentiation; Apoptosis;  mTOR; STAT3

DO  - 10.3727/096504016X14685034103356