MiR-1254 inhibits proliferation, migration and invasion of human brain tumour cell lines

Purpose: To investigate the expression of miR-1254 in 5 astrocytoma cell lines, and the mechanism involved. Methods: Total RNA was isolated by RNeasy RNA isolation kit while cDNA was prepared by RevertAid cDNA synthesis kit. The transcripts were analysed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Transfection of miR-1254 was carried out using FuGENE HD (Promega). Apoptosis was determined by DAPI, acridine orange (AO)/ethidium bromide (EB) and annexin V/PI double staining. Cell migration and invasion were investigated by wound healing and Martigel invasion assays, respectively. Protein expression was measured by western blotting. Results: Expression of miR-1254 was significantly down-regulated in the astrocytoma cell lines when compared to normal astrocyte cells (p < 0.05). Ectopic expression of miR-1254 in astrocytoma SW 1088 cells inhibited cell proliferation via initiation of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Over-expression of miR-1254 also led to significant decrease in cell migration and invasion of SW 1088 astrocytoma cells (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results show that the expression of miR-1254 is down-regulated in astrocytoma cell lines, but over-expression of miR-1254 inhibits proliferation of the cell lines via cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Thus, miR-1254 has promising potential for use in the treatment of brain tumour.