Twist1 induces the expression of microRNA-29 to suppress SIN3A in head and neck cancer cells

Abstract Background In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), invasiveness and metastasis of cancer cells contribute to make this insidious disease a major cause of mortality. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is generally considered to be the major mechanism of cancer metastasis. We previously demonstrated the crucial role of the EMT regulator Twist1 in HNSCC. A growing body of evidence suggests that microRNAs play essential roles in cancer progression and metastasis. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of microRNA in Twist1-mediated cancer metastasis. Materials and Methods The HNSCC cell lines FaDu, SAS, OECM1 and CAL-27, were used in this study. Quantitative RT-PCR for microRNAs and Western blot were performed on four HNSCC cell lines to study the molecular mechanisms involved. Results Expression of the miR-29 family, including miR-29a, b, and c were increased in Twist1-overexpressing HNSCC cells. Furthermore, we discovered that SIN3A, a co-repressor of another EMT regulator Snail, is a target of miR-29s. With our results, we demonstrated that Twist1 modifies the function of gene expression through microRNA machinery. Conclusion We herein have delineated the regulatory mechanism of the Twist1-miR29-SIN3A axis in HNSCC.