miR-204 inhibits angiogenesis and promotes sensitivity to cetuximab in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells by blocking JAK2-STAT3 signaling
- Biomed Pharmacother. 2018 Mar;99:278-285. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.01.055.
- 1. Department of Otolarynglogy Head & Neck Surgery, Shanghai 9th People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 639th on Huangpu District Manufacturing Bureau Road, Shanghai, 200011, China; Ear Institute Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine.
- 2. Department of Otolarynglogy Head & Neck Surgery, Shanghai 9th People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 639th on Huangpu District Manufacturing Bureau Road, Shanghai, 200011, China; Ear Institute Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine. Electronic address: [email protected].
This study aims to investigate the roles of miR-204 in tumor angiogenesis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Here, we found that miR-204 level was reduced in HNSCC tissues relative to that in normal adjacent tissues. Overexpression of miR-204 promoted tumor angiogenesis in HNSCC cells. Mechanistically, JAK2 was identified as a direct target of miR-204, and miR-204 overexpression blocked JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Moreover, overexpression of JAK2 attenuated the inhibition of miR-204 on tumor angiogenesis of HNSCC. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-204 enhanced sensitivity of cetuximab in HNSCC cells, this effect was attenuated by JAK2 overexpression too. Importantly, JAK2 expression was negatively correlated with miR-204 level in HNSCC tissues. Therefore, miR-204 acts as a tumor suppressor by blocking JAK2/STAT3 pathway in HNSCC cells.