MicroRNA-490-3P targets CDK1 and inhibits ovarian epithelial carcinoma tumorigenesis and progression

• It’s the first demonstration that miR-490-3P may inhibit EOC tumorigenesis and progression by targeting CDK1 and other genes.
• Our findings suggest that miR-490-3P might suppress ovarian cell proliferation.
• The involvement of miR-490-3P and CDK1 in EOC provide greater insight into the molecular mechanisms in cancer aggressiveness.
• Approaches aimed at overexpressing miR-490-3P may serve as a promising therapeutic strategy for treating patients with EOC.

The expression of microRNA-490-3P has been reported to regulate hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and its overexpression significantly inhibits A549 lung cancer cell proliferation. Here, we demonstrated for the first time that miR-490 mRNA expression was significantly lower in ovarian carcinoma and borderline tumors compared to benign tumors, and lower in metastatic ovarian carcinoma (omentum) than primary ovarian carcinoma, and was negatively associated with differentiation and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging. MiR-490-3P overexpression promoted G1/S or G2/M arrest and apoptosis; reduced cell proliferation, migration and invasion; reduced CDK1, Bcl-xL, MMP2/9, CCND1, SMARCD1 mRNA or protein expression; and induced P53 expression. Dual-luciferase reporter assay indicated miR-490-3P directly targeted CDK1. In vivo studies showed that miR-490-3P transfection suppressed tumor development and CDK1, Bcl-xL, MMP2/9 expression while inducing P53 expression. These findings indicate that miR-490-3P may target CDK1 and inhibit ovarian epithelial carcinoma tumorigenesis and progression.