Reciprocal control of miR-197 and IL-6/STAT3 pathway reveals miR-197 as potential therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is one of the key players in liver cancer. Increased levels of phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) have been detected in many cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and are usually associated with a more aggressive phenotype and poor prognosis. In addition to aberrant activation of STAT3, upregulation of total STAT3 was also detected in HCC, for which the underlying mechanisms and significance remain to be fully elucidated. Here we report that a reciprocal regulation exists between miR-197 and the IL-6/STAT3 inflammatory signaling pathway in HCC. We found that IL-6 stimulation increased total STAT3 expression at protein level but not mRNA level in HCC cells, suggesting the existence of post-transcriptional regulation of STAT3

SUBMITTER: Wang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4590029 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature