miR-19a-3p promotes the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating p53/SOX4

• Published in: Heliyon Vol. 10; no. 16; p. e36282
• Main Authors: Zhang, Hang, Zhu, Jiajun, Zhang, Jingjun, Liu, Ying, Zhao, Baicheng, Yang, Xiaoyi, Zhou, Wenhan, Chen, Bozhou, Zhang, Shuangshuang, Huang, Ruotong, Chen, Shuying
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 30-08-2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Clinical target; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Mechanism; miR-19a-3p; p53; SOX4; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Clinical target; miR-19a-3p; SOX4; Mechanism; p53
• ISSN: 2405-8440; 2405-8440
• DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36282

This study aims to investigate the potential functions of miR-19a-3p in HCC.
We collected serum samples to analyze miR-19a-3p expression. We utilized CCK8 and Transwell assays to access miR-19a-3p′s influence on HCC cells malignancy. We used dual-luciferase reporter and western blotting to validate the impact of p53/miR-19 on miR-19/SOX4.
The results demonstrated that miR-19a-3p was highly expressed in pre-operative serum samples and HCC cells, which can promote cell proliferation, migration and invasion in HCC under in vitro conditions. Additionally, there was a p53 binding site on the upstream of miR-19a-3p, which was inhibited by p53. SOX4 was the direct gene targeted by miR-19a-3p. The imbalance of p53-miR-19-SOX4 loop was one reason for the progress of HCC.
Our findings validate the mechanisms of miR-19a-3p and highlight its potential as a therapeutic target in HCC.