Profiling of microRNA expression in lung cancer cells with up-regulation of Zeb1

The Zeb1 transcriptional repressor plays a key role in metastasis through the down-regulation of genes that are strong inducers of epithelial differentiation and inhibitors of stem-ness. Here we report that Zeb1 controls the expression of numerous oncogenic and tumor suppressive microRNAs (miRs). Zeb1 stimulated pro-migratory cytoskeletal processes by down-regulating miR-34a and activated Rho GTPases through Arhgap1, a Cdc42 GTPase activating protein and novel miR-34a target gene. Poor-prognosis human lung adenocarcinomas were highly enriched in a cytoskeletal gene signature activated by miR-34a down-regulation. These findings suggest that Zeb1 regulates a miR network and drives pro-migratory cytoskeletal processes through miR-34a. Microarray-based interrogation of global miR expression changes in a non-metastatic KP cell line (393P) that undergoes EMT and gains invasive and metastatic capabilities following forced Zeb1 expression (393P_Zeb1). two group comparison