miR-183 induces cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by regulating PDCD4 expression in the SW1990 pancreatic cancer cell line

The aim of this study was to investigate the function of miR-183 in the SW1990 cancer cell line, and the mechanisms regulating these processes. miRNAs are known to play important roles in cancer cell development. However, the pattern and biological role of miR-183 in pancreatic cancer remain largely unknown. Here, we have reported the reduction in pancreatic cancer cell growth in vitro by miR-183 intervention, by inducing apoptosis and decreasing the Bcl-2 expression. Moreover, miR-183 was observed to enhance pancreatic cancer cell migration and invasion, whereas inhibition of miR-183 caused an opposite effect. miR-183 inhibition was shown to increase E-cadherin expression and decrease N-cadherin expression. These regulatory actions play an important role in the cancer epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Mechanistically, we demonstrated that the overexpression of miR-183 decreased the expression of PDCD4 (programmed cell death 4) mRNA and protein, and vice versa. This helped to identify PDCD4 as the target genes in pancreatic cancer. In conclusion, our analyses indicated miR-183 to be an important contributor to cell migration. This could also be used as a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer treatment.