MicroRNA-regulated gene networks during mammary cell differentiation are associated with breast cancer

Estrogen receptor β expression induces changes in the microRNA pool in human colon cancer cells

There is epidemiological, animal and in vitro evidence that estrogen receptor β (ERβ) can mediate protective effects against colon cancer, but the mechanism is not completely understood. Previous research has indicated critical pathways whereby ERβ acts in an antitumorigenic fashion. In this study, we investigate ERβ's impact on the microRNA (miRNA) pool in colon cancer cells using large-scale genomic approaches, bioinformatics and focused functional studies. We detect and confirm 27 miRNAs to be significantly changed following ERβ expression in SW480 colon cancer cells. Among these, the oncogenic miR-17-92 cluster and miR-200a/b are strongly downregulated. Using target prediction and anticorrelation to gene expression data followed by focused mechanistic studies, we demonstrate that repression of miR-17 is a secondary event following ERβ's downregulatory effect on MYC. We show that re-introduction of miR-17 can reverse the antiproliferative effects of ERβ. The repression of miR-17 also influences cell death upon DNA damage and mediates regulation of NCOA3 (SRC-3) and CLU in colon cancer cells. We further determine that the downregulation of miR-200a/b mediates increased ZEB1 while decreasing E-cadherin levels in ERβ-expressing colon cancer cells. Changes in these genes correspond to significant alterations in morphology and migration. Our work contributes novel data of ERβ and miRNA in the colon. Elucidating the mechanism of ERβ and biomarkers of its activity has significant potential to impact colon cancer prevention and treatment.

MicroRNA in the ovine mammary gland during early pregnancy: spatial and temporal expression of miR-21, miR-205, and miR-200

The mammary gland undergoes extensive remodeling between the beginning of pregnancy and lactation; this involves cellular processes including cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, all of which are under the control of numerous regulators. To unravel the role played by miRNA, we describe here 47 new ovine miRNA cloned from mammary gland in early pregnancy displaying strong similarities with those already identified in the cow, human, or mouse. A microarray study of miRNA variations in the adult ovine mammary gland during pregnancy and lactation showed that 100 miRNA are regulated according to three principal patterns of expression: a decrease in early pregnancy, a peak at midpregnancy, or an increase throughout late pregnancy and lactation. One miRNA displaying each pattern (miR-21, miR-205, and miR-200b) was analyzed by qRT-PCR. Variations in expression were confirmed for all three miRNA. Using in situ hybridization, we detected both miR-21 and miR-200 in luminal mammary epithelial cells when expressed, whereas miR-205 was expressed in basal cells during the first half of pregnancy and then in luminal cells during the second half. We therefore conclude that miR-21 is strongly expressed in the luminal cells of the normal mammary gland during early pregnancy when extensive cell proliferation occurs. In addition, we show that miR-205 and miR-200 are coexpressed in luminal cells, but only during the second half of pregnancy. These two miRNA may cooperate to maintain epithelial status by repressing an EMT-like program, to achieve and preserve the secretory phenotype of mammary epithelial cells.