microRNA-196b promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinogenesis and chemoradioresistance by inhibiting EPHA7, thereby restoring EPHA2 activity

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader microRNA-196b promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinogenesis and chemoradioresistance by inhibiting EPHA7, thereby restoring EPHA2 activity Via American Journal of Cancer Research Am J Cancer Res. 2021 Jul 15;11(7):3594-3610. eCollection 2021. ABSTRACT Esophageal cancer (EC) is extremely aggressive and has a very poor survival rate. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) accounts for 80% of all ECs worldwide, with the majority of the remaining 20% being esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Due to its occult and insidious presentation, ESCC is typically diagnosed and treated in its advanced stages, thereby limiting the success of present therapeutic modalities. microRNAs (miRNAs) can function as tumor suppressors or oncogenes, playing critical roles in cancer initiation and progression by regulating target genes in oncogenic pathways. In the current study, we demonstrated that microRNA-196b (miR-196b) is one of the most upregulated miRNAs in both ESCC and EAC. miR-196b was overexpressed in ESCC and EAC cell lines, cellular exosomal RNAs, and ESCC tissue samples. Functional studies revealed that miR-196b acted as a n oncomiR by directly targeting a tumor suppressor, ephrin type-A receptor 7 (EPHA7). EPHA7 abrogates the activity of ephrin type-A receptor 2 (EPHA2), a key molecule involved in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and MAPK/ERK pathways, mediating resistance to UV and chemoradiotherapy in both ESCC and EAC. Taken together, these findings suggest that miR-196b is a strong candidate molecular target for EC treatment. PMID:34354862 | PMC:PMC8332861 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.