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1: Nature. 2007 Oct 11;449(7163):682-8. Epub 2007 Sep 26.
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Erratum in:
  • Nature. 2008 Sep 11;455(7210):256.

Comment in:
Tumour invasion and metastasis initiated by microRNA-10b in breast cancer.

Ma L, Teruya-Feldstein J, Weinberg RA.

Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.

MicroRNAs have been implicated in regulating diverse cellular pathways. Although there is emerging evidence that some microRNAs can function as oncogenes or tumour suppressors, the role of microRNAs in mediating cancer metastasis remains unexplored. Here we show, using a combination of mouse and human cells, that microRNA-10b (miR-10b) is highly expressed in metastatic breast cancer cells and positively regulates cell migration and invasion. Overexpression of miR-10b in otherwise non-metastatic breast tumours initiates robust invasion and metastasis. Expression of miR-10b is induced by the transcription factor Twist, which binds directly to the putative promoter of mir-10b (MIRN10B). The miR-10b induced by Twist proceeds to inhibit translation of the messenger RNA encoding homeobox D10, resulting in increased expression of a well-characterized pro-metastatic gene, RHOC. Significantly, the level of miR-10b expression in primary breast carcinomas correlates with clinical progression. These findings suggest the workings of an undescribed regulatory pathway, in which a pleiotropic transcription factor induces expression of a specific microRNA, which suppresses its direct target and in turn activates another pro-metastatic gene, leading to tumour cell invasion and metastasis.

Publication Types:
PMID: 17898713 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]