miR-134/487b/655 Cluster regulates TGF-β-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition and drug resistance to Gefitinib by targeting MAGI2 in lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has recently been recognized as a key element of cell invasion, migration, metastasis, and drug resistance in several types of cancer, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Our aim was to clarify microRNA (miRNA) -related mechanisms underlying EMT followed by acquired resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) in NSCLC. MiRNA expression profiles were examined before and after transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1) exposure in four human adenocarcinoma cell lines with or without EMT. Correlation between expressions of EMT-related miRNAs and resistance to EGFR-TKI gefitinib was evaluated. MiRNA array and quantitative RT-PCR revealed that TGF-β1 significantly induced overexpression of miR-134, miR-487b, and miR-655, which belong to the same cluster located on chromosome 14q32, in lung adenocarcinoma cells with EMT. MAGI2 (membrane-associated guanylate kinase, WW and PDZ domain-containing protein 2), a predicted target of these miRNAs and a scaffold protein required for PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog), was diminished in A549 cells with EMT after the TGF-β1 stimulation. Overexpression of miR-134 and miR-487b promoted the EMT phenomenon and affected the drug resistance to gefitinib, whereas knockdown of these miRNAs inhibited the EMT process and reversed TGF-β1-induced resistance to gefitinib. Our study demonstrated that the miR-134/487b/655 cluster contributed to the TGF-β1-induced EMT phenomenon and affected the resistance to gefitinib by directly targeting MAGI2, whose suppression subsequently caused loss of PTEN stability in lung cancer cells. The miR-134/miR-487b/miR-655 cluster may be new therapeutic targets in advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients, depending on the EMT phenomenon. miRNA expression profiles before and after TGF-β1 exposure were assessed in the four lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, A549, LC2/ad, PC3, and, PC9 by TaqMan miRNA arrays. Relative ratios of miRNAs in cells after TGF-β1 exposure were calculated when compared with the cells before TGF-β1 exposure.