Coordinated Regulation of Polycomb Group Complexes through microRNAs in Cancer

Polycomb Repressive Complexes (PRC1 and PRC2)-mediated epigenetic regulation is critical for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Members of Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins including EZH2, a PRC2 component, are upregulated in various cancer types, implicating their role in tumorigenesis. Here, we have identified several microRNAs (miRNAs) that are repressed by EZH2. These miRNAs, in turn, regulate the expression of PRC1 proteins BMI1 and RING2. We found that ectopic overexpression of EZH2-regulated miRNAs attenuated cancer cell growth and invasiveness, and abrogated cancer stem cell properties. Importantly, expression analysis revealed an inverse correlation between miRNA and PRC protein levels in cell culture and prostate cancer tissues. Taken together, our data have uncovered a coordinate regulation of PRC1 and PRC2 activities that is mediated by miRNAs. ► We identified miRNAs that are negatively regulated by PRC2 protein EZH2 ► EZH2-regulated miRNAs, in turn, regulate PRC1 proteins BMI1 and RING2 ► miRNAs and PRC protein levels are inversely correlated in prostate cancer ► PRC1 and PRC2 activities are coordinately regulated via miRNAs