Increased expression of miR‐146a, miR‐10b, and miR‐21 in cancer stem‐like gastro‐spheres

• Published in: Journal of cellular biochemistry 2019-10, Vol.120 (10), p.16589-16599
• Main Authors: Bakhshi, Mahdieh, Asadi, Jahanbakhsh, Ebrahimi, Marzieh, Moradi, Abdol‐Vahab, Hajimoradi, Monireh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: AGS cell line; Biotechnology; Cancer; cancer stem‐like cell; Cell culture; Cisplatin; Gastric cancer; gastro‐sphere; Gene expression; microRNA; miRNA; MKN‐45 cell line; Pathogenesis; Polymerase chain reaction; Regulators; Reverse transcription; Spheres; Stem cells; Tumor cell lines
• ISSN: 0730-2312; 1097-4644
• DOI: 10.1002/jcb.28918

Background Gastric cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer‐associated mortalities globally. Accumulating evidence support the presence of gastric cancer stem cells (CSCs) and their role in the pathogenesis and therapeutic challenges of gastric cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) may be influenced by the cellular differentiative state and as critical regulators of the cellular fate in development and cancer, can modulate the behavior of CSCs too. Here, we aimed to investigate the expression relevance of three prognostic miRNAs (miR‐21, miR‐10b, and miR‐146a) in CSCs of AGS and MKN‐45 gastric cancer cell lines. Methods Serial sphere‐forming assay in serum‐free culture medium was used to enrich the cellular population with stem‐like properties. Gastro‐spheres were characterized by evaluating the stemness gene expression, clonogenicity, and resistance to docetaxel and cisplatin in comparison with their parental cells. The expression level of miRNAs in gastro‐spheres and their parental cells was measured using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results Gastro‐spheres from both cell lines exhibit stem‐like properties: upregulated stemness associated genes (P