Dysregulation of miRNAs can lead to tumorigenesis through changes in regulation of key cellular processes such as cell proliferation, cell survival, and apoptosis. miR-125a-5p has been implicated as a tumor suppressor miRNA in malignancies such as non-small cell lung cancer and colon cancer.
We verified that Smurf1 is a downstream target gene of miR-125a and is involved in miR-125a-mediated regulation of CT26 cell (colon cancer cell) proliferation and migration.
ROC curve showed that miR-125a-3p abundant level may predict colon cancer with an area of under the curve (AUC) of 68.5%, in comparison to that of CEA at 83.6%.
The tumor suppressor role of miR-125a-5p in colon cancer was supported by the observation that overexpression of miR-125a-5p inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis in colon cancer cells.