LNA-i-miR-221 activity in colorectal cancer: A reverse translational investigation

• Main Authors: Asad Ali (Author), Katia Grillone (Author), Serena Ascrizzi (Author), Giulio Caridà (Author), Lucia Fiorillo (Author), Domenico Ciliberto (Author), Nicoletta Staropoli (Author), Pierosandro Tagliaferri (Author), Pierfrancesco Tassone (Author), Maria Teresa Di Martino (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Elsevier, 2024-06-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies and a relevant cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Dysregulation of microRNA (miRNA) expression has been associated with the development and progression of various cancers, including CRC. Among them, miR-221 emerged as an oncogenic driver, whose high expression is associated with poor patient prognosis. The present study was conceived to investigate the anti-CRC activity of miR-221 silencing based on early clinical data achieved from a first-in-human study by our group. Going back from bedside to bench, we demonstrated that LNA-i-miR-221 reduces cell viability, induces apoptosis in vitro, and impairs tumor growth in preclinical in vivo models of CRC. Importantly, we disclosed that miR-221 directly targets TP53BP2, which, together with TP53INP1, is known as a positive regulator of the TP53 apoptotic pathway. We found that (1) both these genes are overexpressed following miR-221 inhibition, (2) the strong anti-tumor activity of LNA-i-miR-221 was selectively observed on TP53 wild-type cells, and (3) this activity was reduced in the presence of the TP53-inhibitor Pifitrin-α. Our data pave the way to further investigations on TP53 functionality as a marker predictive of response to miR-221 silencing, which might be relevant for clinical applications.

Item Description

2162-2531
10.1016/j.omtn.2024.102221