MiR-125b can enhance skin tumor initiation and promote malignant progression by repressing differentiation and prolonging cell survival.

ABSTRACT: Previously, we identified miR-125b as a key regulator of the undifferentiated state of hair follicle stem cells. Here, we show that in both mice and humans, miR-125b is abundantly expressed, particularly at early stages of malignant progression to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the second most prevalent cancer worldwide. Moreover, when elevated in normal murine epidermis, miR-125b promotes tumor initiation and contributes to malignant progression. We further show that miR-125b can confer "oncomiR addiction" in early stage malignant progenitors by delaying their differentiation and favoring an SCC cancer stem cell (CSC)-like transcriptional program. To understand how, we systematically identified and validated miR125b targets that are specifically associated with tumors that are dependent o

SUBMITTER: Zhang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4233245 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature