WAVE3, an actin remodeling protein, is regulated by the metastasis suppressor microRNA, miR-31, during the invasion-metastasis cascade.

ABSTRACT: WAVE3, an actin cytoskeleton remodeling protein, is highly expressed in advanced stages of breast cancer and influences tumor cell invasion. Loss of miR-31 has been associated with cancer progression and metastasis. Here, we show that the activity of WAVE3 to promote cancer cell invasion is regulated by miR-31. An inverse correlation was demonstrated between expression levels of WAVE3 and miR-31 in invasive versus noninvasive breast cancer cell lines. miR-31 directly targeted the 3'-UTR of the WAVE3 mRNA and inhibited its expression in the invasive cancer cells, i.e., miR-31-mediated down-regulation of WAVE3 resulted in a significant reduction in the invasive phenotype of cancer cells. This relationship was specific to the loss of WAVE3 expression because re-expression of a miR-31-resistan

SUBMITTER: Sossey-Alaoui K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3081370 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature