Conversely, inhibition of miR-194 activity suppressed the invasive capacity of prostate cancer cell lines <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> Mechanistic investigations identified the ubiquitin ligase suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 (SOCS2) as a direct, biologically relevant target of miR-194 in prostate cancer.
In addition, we proved that SOCS2 expression is significantly elevated upon androgenic stimulation in androgen receptor (AR)-positive cell lines, providing a possible mechanistic explanation for high SOCS2 levels in PCa tissue.
Androgen induced SOCS2 ubiquitin ligase expression and inhibited GH signaling as well as cell proliferation and invasion in PCa, whereas reduced SOCS2 was present in castration-resistant cases.
Our data offer the convincing evidence for the first time that the dysregulation of SOCS2 and SOCS6 may be associated with the aggressive progression of PCa.