Cell Differentiation Agent-2 (CDA-2) Inhibits the Growth and Migration of Saos-2 Cells via miR-124/MAPK1

Quanxiu Li,1 Guangchun Li,1 Changyi Liu,1 Na Chen,2 Bangyu Deng,3 Youke Xie4 1Department of Orthopedics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pathology, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Oncology, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Oncology, Hospital of Ruikang Affiliated to Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Guangxi, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Quanxiu Li Email sdspine@aliyun.comBackground: CDA-2 (cell differentiation agent 2), isolated from healthy human urine, exerts antitumor effects in multiple types of cancer cells. However, its role in osteosarcoma has not been studied.Methods: The MTT assay was used to examine the cell proliferation rate. A colony formation assay was used to examine cell growth. The Transwell assay was used to examine cell migration ability. A real-time PCR assay was used to examine the expression levels of miR-124 and MAPK1. A Western blot assay was used to examine protein expression levels. MAPK1 was selected as a possible target of miR-124, and the targeting relationship was examined by a luciferase reporter assay.Results: We revealed that CDA-2 decreased the growth, migration and invasion ability of the osteosarcoma cell line Saos-2. Further study revealed that CDA-2 elevated the expression level of miR-124. MAPK1 was identified as a downstream target of miR-124. Knockdown of miR-124 or overexpression of MAPK1 counteracted CDA-2’s effects on cell growth and invasion.Conclusion: Our data revealed that the miR-124/MAPK1 axis mediated CDA-2’s function in Saos-2 cells. CDA-2 can be used as a new treatment strategy for osteosarcoma.Keywords: cell differentiation agent 2, osteosarcoma, miR-124, MAPK1