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Background/Aims: About 400 million individuals are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus, at high risk of developing liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Recent studies have demonstrated an interaction between hepatitis B virus replication and autophagy activity of hepatocytes. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of miR-141 in regulating autophagy and hepatitis B virus replication. Methods: The expression of HBV-DNA, miR-141 and Sirt1 mRNA was determined by quantitative real-time PCR analysis. The expression of HBsAg and HBeAg was determined by ELISA. Western blotting was performed to detect protein expression. The LC3 puncta was determined by immunofluorescence. To test whether miR-141 directly regulate the expression level of Sirt1 mRNA, dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was performed. Results: In vitro studies showed that miR-141 mimic inhibited the autophagic response, hepatitis B virus and the expression of Sirt1 in hepatocytes. And transfection with miR-141 inhibitor enhanced autophagic response and Sirt1 expression. The autophagy induced by overexpression of Sirt1 was inhibited by miR-141 mimic. In addition, miR-141 mimic also decreased the expression of Sirt1 mRNA. Sirt1 was predicted as a potential miR-141 target by bioinformatic analysis of its 3'-UTR, and confirmed by luciferase reporter assays which analyzing the interaction of miR-141 with the wild- type or the mutated Sirt1 3’-UTR. Conclusion: We have therefore demonstrated a role of miR-141 in regulating autophagy-mediated hepatitis B virus inhibition by targeting Sirt1, and may provide potential targets for drug development.

Cancer remains one of the most threatening causes of human health impairment, and the mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis have not been completely characterized. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of endogenous, small (18∼25 nucleotides) non-coding RNAs which negatively regulate gene expressions by directly binding to the 3'-untranslated regions (3'-UTRs) of the target messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Increasing evidence has demonstrated abnormal miRNA profiles and confirmed their involvement in tumor initiation and progression. As one important member of the miR-200 family, microRNA (miR)-141 is aberrantly expressed in many human malignant tumors, participating in various cellular processes including epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), proliferation, migration, invasion, and drug resistance. In the present review, we briefly describe the mechanisms underlying miR-141-mediated tumorigenesis and the possible future of miR-141 as a potential diagnostic and prognostic parameter as well as therapeutic target in clinical applications.

Background/Aims: Non-coding RNAs including miRNA and lncRNA had been reported to regulate gene expression and were both related to cancer progression. MicroRNA-141 (miR-141) has been reported to play a role in the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and H19 has also been demonstrated to promote malignancy in various cancers. We aimed to determine the correlation between miR-141 and H19 and their roles in gastric cancer in this study. Methods: H19 and miR-141 expression were detected by qRT-PCR. By bioinformatic analysis and luciferase assay we examined the correlation between H19 and miR-141 in vitro. Results: H19 expression was found to be inversely correlated to miR-141 expression in gastric cancer cells and tissues. H19 promotes malignancy including proliferation and invasion whereas miR-141 suppresses malignancy in human cancer cells. MiR-141 binds to H19 in a sequence specific manner, and suppresses H19 expression and functions including proliferation and invasion. MiR-141 could also regulate H19 target genes and miR-141 inhibitor restores H19 siRNA function, while H19 regulates miR-141 target gene ZEB1. Conclusion: These results were the first to demonstrate that H19 and miR-141 could compete with each other and affect their target genes in gastric cancer, which provide important clues for understanding the key roles of lncRNA-miRNA functional network in cancer.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide. A major cause for the failure of cancer therapy is the development of chemoresistance. Although progress has been made in the study of the mechanisms underlying cancer cells resistance, little is known about the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cancer therapy resistance. Methods and Results: Fifteen miRNAs, including 6 up-regulated miRNAs (> 2.0-fold) and 9 down-regulated miRNAs (Conclusion: Our study showed that miR-141 plays a key role in 5-FU resistance by down-regulating Keap1 expression, thereby reactivating the Nrf2-dependent antioxidant pathway, which may serve as a potential target for overcoming 5-FU resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Background: MiR-141 has been confirmed to be associated with various human diseases. However, whether miR-141 is involved in the pathogenesis of Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR) remains unknown. Here, we design the experiment to reveal the relationship between miR-141 and HSCR. Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression levels of miR-141 and its potential genes in 70 tissues of HSCR compared with 60 controls. Bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP) assay was applied to explain the possible mechanism of the aberrant expression level of miR-141. We employed a dual-luciferase reporter assay to validate the regulation relation between miR-141 and CD47/CUL3. Cell migration, proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle progression were examined by transwell assay, MTT assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. Results: MiR-141 was down-regulated whereas CD47 and CUL3 expression was increased in colon tissues from patients with HSCR compared with control group, The increased level of CD47 and CUL3 induced by miR-141 reduced proliferation and migration of 293T and SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, this suppression was reversed by reducing of CD47 and CUL3. Hypermethylation of a CpG Island in the promoter region of miR-141 gene was confirmed in HSCR tissues. Conclusion: Aberrant reduction of miR-141 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of HSCR with the inhibiting affection on cell migration and proliferation abilities. The present study demonstrates for the first time the role of miR-141 and its target genes in the occurrence of HSCR, and provides us a new direction for the study of the pathogenesis of Hirschsprung's disease.