The miR-200c/FUT4 axis prevents the proliferation of colon cancer cells by downregulating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway
Abstract BackgroundTo investigate the effects of miR-200c, which targets fucosyltransferase 4 (FUT4), on the proliferation, migration and invasion of colon cancer cells and to further explore its mechanism.MethodsWe assessed the miR-200c and FUT4 mRNA levels in LoVo and SW480 cells by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and their correlation was analysed by Pearson correlation analysis. LipofectamineTM 2000 transfection reagent was used to transfect miR-200c mimic, FUT4 siRNA, FUT4 mimic and FUT4 mimic negative control into LoVo and SW480 cells, and RT-PCR was used to analyse the transfection efficiency. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation and transwell assays were used to detect the migration, invasion and proliferation of LoVo and SW480 cells. Immunofluorescence was used to analyse the expression of the Ki-67 protein. Moreover, the expression of Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway-related proteins was detected by western blots. A double luciferase experiment was performed to verify the targeting relationship between miR-200c and FUT4. In vivo, tumour growth and Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway-related proteins were also analysed. ResultsPearson correlation analysis showed that miR-200c and FUT4 were negatively correlated in LoVo and SW480 cells (correlation coefficients were -0.9046 and -0.9236, respectively). MiR-200c overexpression inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of LoVo cells by downregulating FUT4. The Ki67-positive cells and Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway-related proteins were reduced in the miR-200c overexpression and FUT4 silencing groups. A bioinformatics analysis and a dual luciferase reporting system identified FUT4 as the target of miR-200c. ConclusionsIn conclusion, miR-200c overexpression inhibits FUT4 expression and downregulates the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway, thereby inhibiting the migration, invasion and proliferation of colon cancer cells.