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J Breast Cancer.  2016 Mar;19(1):26-33. 10.4048/jbc.2016.19.1.26.

Prolactin Inhibits BCL6 Expression in Breast Cancer Cells through a MicroRNA-339-5p-Dependent Pathway

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China. aydjohn@yahoo.com
  • 2Department of Pathology, The Second People's Hospital of Hefei, Hefei, China.
  • 3Department of Pathology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
  • 4Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.

Abstract

PURPOSE
Prolactin (PRL) plays a critical role in breast cancer progression by activating its cognate receptor and promotes the growth and differentiation of breast cancer cells. Studies have shown that B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) is the target gene of microRNA-339-5p (miR-339-5p) and that BCL6 expression contributes to breast cancer progression. Herein, we identified PRL as a potent suppressor of BCL6 expression in human breast cancer cells.
METHODS
Western blotting and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were used to investigate molecular mechanisms underlying miR-339-5p expression and BCL6 manipulation in MCF-7, T47D, and SKBR3 breast cancer cells. Phenotypic changes in these breast cancer cell lines were assessed by performing cell viability (MTT), colony formation, migration, and invasion assays.
RESULTS
PRL suppressed BCL6 protein and mRNA expression and upregulated miR-339-5p expression in MCF-7 and T47D breast cancer cells. Selective downregulation of miR-339-5p expression significantly reversed PRL-induced suppression of BCL6 mRNA and protein expression. Exogenous PRL stimulation significantly decreased the proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells, and suppression of miR-339-5p expression reversed these processes in vitro.
CONCLUSION
These results indicated that PRL inhibited BCL6 expression and regulated breast cancer progression through a miR-339-5p-dependent pathway.

Keyword

B-cell lymphoma 6 proteins; Breast neoplasms; MicroRNA-339-5p; Prolactin

MeSH Terms

Blotting, Western
Breast Neoplasms*
Breast*
Cell Line
Cell Survival
Down-Regulation
Humans
Lymphoma, B-Cell
Prolactin*
RNA, Messenger
Prolactin
RNA, Messenger
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