Background and aims: Here, we have investigated the role of miR-483 and miR-214 in the prognosis and multidrug resistance (MDR) of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Methods: The expression of miR-483 and miR-214 was detected in 104 cases of esophageal cancer tissues and matched adjacent benign esophageal tissues by quantitative real-time PCR. The relation of microRNA expression with survival was statistically analyzed. The roles of miR-483 and miR-214 in MDR of esophageal squamous cell cancer cells were further evaluated.
Results: The expression of miR-483 and miR-214 was found significantly upregulated in esophageal squamous cell cancer tissues. The expression levels of miR-483 and miR-214 showed an inverse correlation with overall survival. High expression of miR-483 and miR-214 might predict less chemotherapy effect. Downregulation of miR-483 and miR-214 could confer sensitivity of both P-glycoprotein-related and P-glycoprotein-nonrelated drugs to esophageal cancer cells, and it might induce increased accumulation of adriamycin (ADR) and decreased amount of ADR released.
Conclusions: miR-483 and miR-214 might play important roles in the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer and should be considered as potential targets for intervention in this malignancy.