MicroRNA-328 Inhibits Proliferation of Human Melanoma Cells by Targeting TGFΒ2

Abstract

Some microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to act as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes in humanmelanomas. miR-328 is upregulated in blood cells of melanoma patients compared to in healthy controls. Thissuggests a role for miR-328 in melanoma that warrants investigation. In this study, we demonstrated miR-328levels to be dramatically decreased in human melanoma cell lines. Moreover, forced expression of miR-328inhibited proliferation and induced G1-phase arrest of the SK-MEL-1 melanoma cell line. We identified TGFΒ2as a direct target gene for miR-328 using a fluorescent reporter assay and western blotting. Levels of TGFΒ2were dramatically increased in human melanoma cell lines and were inversely correlated with the miR-328expression level. Our findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of human melanoma development,indicating that miR-328 has therapeutic potential for this disease.